


Shot Through the Heart

by Lecrivaine



Category: Soul Eater
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Black Star is a good friend, Blackmail, Canon-Typical Violence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Death Scythe, Death Scythe Soul Eater, Death the Kid is a good Meister, Devils of Brooklyn, Liz and Patti are good Weapons, Liz and Patti's past is explored, Maka Albarn is a good friend, Meister & Weapon, Meister & Weapon relationship, Minor Character Death, Nakatsukasa Tsubaki is a good friend, Post-Canon, Soul Eater is a good friend, Trigger Warning: mass shooting planning mentioned, Trigger Warning: past drug use mentioned, Trigger Warning: suicidal thoughts mentioned, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:13:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 26,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28257477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lecrivaine/pseuds/Lecrivaine
Summary: When Liz and Patti are blackmailed into returning to their lives as the Devils of Brooklyn, Kid must get to the bottom of why his weapons have up and left him without a word.When those around him begin to doubt the girls' loyalty, the young Shinigami-sama is determined to clear their names, even if he has to drag them back home himself.5 years post-manga.*Cross-posted on Fanfiction.net under Pen-Always-In-Hand
Relationships: Death the Kid & Liz Thompson & Patty Thompson, Liz Thompson & Patty Thompson, Maka Albarn/Soul Eater Evans
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Bulletproof

**Author's Note:**

> This story will mainly focus in the Thompsons' and Kid, and their relationship as meister and weapons, especially when their meister is Shinigami-sama. But the rest of the main cast will get story time, so don't worry. Pairings are on my profile if you want to see.
> 
> Also, the ages I've determined the characters to be by the end of the series are: Black*Star, 14; Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, Patti, 15; and Liz 17. At the start of this story, they are five years older, so Black*Star is 19; Maka, Soul, Tsubaki, and Patti are 20; and Liz is 22.

Demon pistol Elizabeth "Liz" Thompson crossed her arms behind her head and sighed. "Man, late night border patrol sucks," she griped as she walked the streets of Death City, half-seriously looking for criminals or rogue witches. "I could be at a club, partying or talking to some handsome guy, or even shopping right now!"

Beside her, swinging her arms playfully, was Liz's younger sister, Patricia "Patti", who giggled. "Yeah, but sis, this way we can see each other! You've been _soooo_ busy with stuff!"

"Mmm, I guess you're right, Patti," Liz acknowledged. She was in her second semester of senior year at Death City University, on a political science major, and had spent most of her free time studying for finals. This was her first night off for a while, and she certainly hadn't wanted to spend it on patrol, but had succumbed to Kid's and Patti's insistence.

When their meister, Death the Kid, had become Shinigami-sama on the death of his father, many people expected him to team up with Soul Eater, the "Last" Death Scythe and one of their good friends, instead of keeping his Demon twin pistols. But, much to the relief of the sisters (and Maka Albarn, Soul's meister and current girlfriend), Kid had continued his partnership with the Thompsons, despite opposition from his advisers, which had grown even louder the past few years. Determined to be useful to Kid as more than just a weapon, especially since he rarely went on missions anymore even though he could leave Death City, Liz had worked hard during her last year of high school and been accepted into a Pol Sci program at DCU. Patti, however, had decided after half a year of college that it just wasn't for her.

"A lot has changed these last five years, haven't they, Patti?" Liz asked, uncrossing her arms and putting them in the pockets of her jeans. They were a little nicer looking, rather than casual; her red-and white-checkered blouse covered her stomach; and she now rarely wore her cowboy hat unless in a nostalgic or partying mood. She still always wore her black high-heels and silver bracelets.

"Yeah, yeah!" Patti agreed, grinning. The younger Thompson was still content with her traditional cowgirl outfit, though without the hat or Spartoi jacket, unless it was really cold. "When doya think Soul's gonna ask Maka to marry him? Heehee!"

"Mah, well, how long have they been dating? Two years?" Liz answered, thinking. "Well, Maka probably wouldn't accept until she was done school; she's got a couple years left, so...twenty bucks he pops the question at graduation." Maka was currently attending DCU as well, aiming to be a teacher at Shibusen, while Soul had decided to go for a major in music.

"Okay!" Patti said. She twirled in the street, laughing as she did so; it made Liz smile. "We get to be bridesmaids, right? I've never been a bridesmaid!"

"I'm sure we will," Liz assured her sister. "And at Tsubaki and Black*Star's wedding and maybe even Kim and Ox's." Kim and Ox had had an on-again off-again relationship until last year when Ox had proposed — quite spectacularly, at the Shibusen anniversary ball — and, under the condition they wait until she finished medical school, Kim accepted. And Black*Star, about six months ago, had finally asked Tsubaki to be his girlfriend after crashing a date between her and Akane Hoshi, blathering on about how he would make a boyfriend boyfriend and asking if she would please accept the honor of dating him (so Tsubaki and Maka had later informed the Thompsons, as Maka and Soul had been on a date at the same restaurant).

Of course, a wedding for Black*Star and Tsubaki was a ways away, and maybe not even in the cards at all, but it was fun to dream.

Her sister smiled in response. "Can't wait," she gushed. Then, suddenly Patti stopped, then put a hand to her forehead, as if shielding her eyes from the already-set sun. "Look, sis, we're almost home!" she squealed. "C'mon, I'll race you! Last one there's a rotten egg!" Then, with no other warning, the young Weapon picked up her heels and dashed off, leaving her sister in the dust.

Liz stood there blinking for a while, then starting running after Patti. "Hey, Patti, wait! No fair, you cheated!"

When the elder Thompson finally made it to the mansion she, her sister, and their meister called home, Patti was waiting at the door, hopping in place. She then began laughing and pointed at her sister, "You're the rotten egg!"

"Only 'cause you cheated," Liz grumbled. "If you'd played fair –" she broke off abruptly, turning her head to the side of the mansion. "Patti, be quiet," she ordered in a low voice. Immediately the laughing stopped.

"What's wrong?" Patti whispered, edging closer. Liz took a step towards the mansion's side, where the cellar doors were.

"I thought I heard something," Liz murmured. It was late out, with a few streetlights keeping the night's darkness at bay; no one should be out and about now. "But maybe I was wrong..."

"Ah, that's OK, sis," Patti assured, turning back to the front door. "Let's go in; maybe Kid's finally home! He's been soooo busy, too!"

It had been a while since Kid had arrived home at a decent hour, a week at least, so Liz wasn't hopeful, but she nodded, following her sister. "Yeah, okay," she said.

 _BANG!_ The cellar doors flew open, startling Liz so badly she morphed into her Weapon form, which Patti effortlessly, almost unconsciously, caught. A red and blue blur blew past them, and without a moment's hesitation, Patti began following.

"Hold it right there, mister!" Patti cried angrily, her cute voice becoming slightly darker. The blur did not obey, nor did he respond; Liz wasn't great at Soul Perception, had only gotten a little better at it over the years, but she could at least tell they were chasing after a human male.

He led them over streets they'd just been on, turned a few corners as if trying to lose them, and then finally stopped in the middle of town. When the guy stopped, Patti slowed, if only because the guy had joined a group of about six others. While Patti took up a battle stance, Liz surveyed the situation. Excluding the blur, who was a young teenager with dark hair and skin, dressed in ratty blue jeans and a red T-shirt, there were six other guys, ranging from early twenties to thirties, all wearing dark suits.

 _"Who are you?"_ Liz demanded, still in Weapon form.

"Well, well, just the girls I wanted to see!" One of the men, the oldest by far, exclaimed, stepping forward. Short and stocky, he had black, slicked back hair, dark skin, and a menacing grin that revealed a gold tooth on his lower row. He spoke with a Brooklyn accent, and seemed kind of familiar to Liz.

Patti raised Liz threateningly and glared. "My sister asked you a question," she growled. "Who are you creeps?"

The man who had spoken, who seemed to be the leader, spread his arms wide; in the street lamps' glow, a dozen rings sparkled on his fingers. "C'mon, gals, it's me! Franky! Surely you didn't forget about me once you hit it rich with that _death kid_ , did you? I'm hurt!"

Suddenly something clicked, and Liz gasped. She morphed out of Patti's hands and landed in front of her sister, positioning herself protectively. "Franky," she ground out. "Long time no see."

Franky's grin got wider. "Ah, Liz, darling! So glad you remember me! You're looking good!"

"What do you _want,_ Franky?" Liz asked irritably. Francesco "Franky" Scaffidi was a relatively well-known mobster, being the leader of a gang of Italian mobsters back in Brooklyn; the Thompson sisters had gotten into a few fights with them when they lived on the streets. "And what are you doing here? Last I heard, you were serving a twenty-year sentence."

"My lawyers got me out on a technicality," the mobster replied, waving his hand dismissively. "And as to why I'm here..." His eyes narrowed coldly. "Well, Liz, sweetie, don't think I've forgotten you gals were the ones who got me into that mess in first place."

A shiver went down Liz's spine as Franky's henchmen fell in line behind him. She soon shook it off, however; she was one of the infamous Thompson Sisters, a Devil of Brooklyn, and Shinigami-sama's own weapon. She had nothing to be afraid of. Still..."Patti, transform," she said.

"Right." In a flash of light, Patti became a gun and landed in her sister's ready hand.

Franky whistled. "Never get tired of seeing that," he marveled, eyes wide.

"I'll only ask one more time," Liz warned. "What do you want, Franky?"

"I want you to pay off your debt," the gangster replied. Liz tilted her head, confused.

"What?"

"The debt you owe me for ratting me out to the cops and then bailing on the city," Franky elaborated. "You girls were great for business! I could charge protection rates from you two, and no one ever gave me a hard time about it! But once you left, it all went dooowwwnnnhill from there." Franky made a slight curving motion with his hand.

"Yeah, so?" Liz challenged.

 _"Yeah, so?"_ Patti repeated angrily. _"We like it with Kid and our friends a whole lot better than being on the streets!"_

"I don't really care what you like," Franky informed them flatly. "I just want my debt repaid. And that involves you girls working for me. And," he held up a hand when Liz opened her mouth, "since I figured you wouldn't... _take too kindly_ to that arrangement, I had my boys place little presents around your lovely city." He face twisted into something cruel. "Think of 'em as...early Christmas in July presents. Ha!"

As Franky and his men laughed, Liz paled. Franky was also known as "Fireworks Franky" for his love, and regular use, of explosives; Liz had once heard, when a couple of dirty cops had wanted to come clean, Franky had them tied to a chair, under which he lit a stick of TNT. That same man had been snooping around her city? Her home, the place where she'd spent, and was continuing to spend, the best years of her life? Anger surged through her, and in two seconds flat she had raised Patti and fired two shots at the mobster.

Fear crossed Franky's face for a moment, but when, to the sisters' shock, he appeared unharmed, he laughed long and hard. He unbuttoned the first few buttons on his shirt to reveal a glowing blue vest. "A soul wavelength bullet proof vest," he exclaimed proudly. "Paid a witch an extreme amount of money for this – which has been added to your debt, by the way – but, oh, it was worth it! And the look on your face – priceless! Ahahaha!"

 _Sis, this isn't good_ , Patti thought worriedly, speaking through their souls.

 _Yeah, I know,_ Liz thought back.

Franky stopped laughing. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small black device. "This," he declared, "is all that's standing in the way of me turning your home, your school, and other wonderful parts of this city to rubble, should you refuse. So, ladies, what's it gonna be?"

Liz clenched her fist. She hated giving into this guy, but she had seen what he was capable of, and had no doubt he would take joy in exploding Death City. _Patti, what do we do?_ She wished Kid was here, or even Maka or Soul, or anyone of their friends to counsel them.

 _We can't let him hurt anybody_ , Patti said after a while. _We have to protect everyone; Kid would want that._

 _Yeah...wait, what if we pretended to go along with them?_ Liz said, an idea stirring in her brain. _If we could get him to trust us..._

 _Like when we worked with the police officers?_ Patti asked.

 _Yeah, just like that,_ Liz agreed. _What do you think?_

"I'm waiting," Franky said in a warning tone, tapping his finger against the opposite wrist, thumb posed over the big red button on the black device.

 _Well...we...wouldn't be going back for real, right, sis?_ Patti said hesitantly. _We'd just be...pretending?_

 _I promise,_ Liz assured. _Patti, I promise, we'll never go back to that. Never._

A longer pause. Then, _Okay_.

Liz looked up at Franky, scowling. After a few moments, she took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, here's how's it's gonna be..."


	2. Steady, Aim, Fire

Kid ignored his alarm clock when it went off at eight o' clock, but when it began beeping eight minutes later, he rose with a groan and hit it, silencing it exactly .8 seconds later; though his OCD towards symmetry had considerably lessened once he became a full Grim Reaper, he liked to maintain some aspects of symmetry in his life. Also, while sleep was something he'd hardly needed even before maturing, the last week had been a whirlwind of meetings with the witches; dealing with an increase in pre-kishins; and overseeing other details he'd never known his father to have to deal with. Plus, the annual renewal of the treaty with the witches was coming up, so not only were those preparations taking up his time, there was still a strong opposition to the signing, evidenced by the picketed protests outside his office. With all the stress he was under, he'd finally taken Liz's advice and gotten some sleep.

Thinking of Liz, he noticed there wasn't the smell of cooking wafting through the air. This was Friday, and Liz didn't have classes until 8:30 today, and so often celebrated that fact by making a big, long breakfast. It usually ended with the kitchen being left a mess since, though the Thompsons were actually fairly good cooks, they fooled around so much most of the pancake batter, or eggs, or cream chip beef ended up splattered on the walls and floor.

Once Kid was dressed, he exited his room and began walking towards the kitchen, which was strangely silent. "Liz? Patti?" he called. No answer; when he reached the kitchen, there was no one there, and the room was as spotless as it had been last night.

The shinigami cocked his head in confusion. Where could they be? Maybe Liz had needed to go to school early for something...yes, that must be it, and perhaps didn't have time enough for her Friday meal. And Patti, after accompanying her sister, probably went out to the park to do some painting, a hobby she'd recently decided to master and was getting pretty good at.

Well, there had certainly been times when he'd been gone before either sister awoke, so he wouldn't worry about it now. Hopefully he could catch them at dinner time.

And with that, he headed to work.

~~~

It was times like now, when having important meetings between Shibusen and the witches, especially regarding treaty adjustments, that Kid _really_ wished Mabaa-san actually _talked._

As it was, Majo, the fox-themed witch elder (who after all this time _still_ hadn't trusted Shibusen with her real name) was acting translator, and always had a harsher tone to her voice than Mabaa-san.

"Nya nya."

"Maba-sama wishes to address the recent _infractions_ of _your own_ treaty," Majo translated brusquely, narrowing her eyes at Kid.

"And what 'infractions' are you talking about, Majo-san?" Spirit Albarn asked, frowning at the witch. Kid's council consisted of the remaining Death Scythes, that is, Spirit, Marie Stein, Azusa Yumi, Deng Dinga, Djinn Galland, and the "Last" Death Scythe, Soul Eater Evans, who thusly had been forced to take night classes to keep up with his education. That fact bothered Kid, but Soul still insisted on being part of the council, determined to live up to his status as a Death Scythe.

"The witch hunts!" Majo exclaimed. "We've had to lay _five_ of our own to rest in the past two weeks! And this, when we are supposed to be free of persecution by Shibusen!"

"Those witches were in clear violation of the treaty," Sid Barret argued, thumping a blue fist on the table. He and Franken Stein, the only meisters and non-Death Scythes, made up the rest of Kid's council.

"Indeed," Djinn Galland put forth. "That pair of twin witches was causing far too much havoc in my city to be ignored."

"Then you should have brought them to _us_ , instead of dispatching your own justice upon them!"

"Nya nya," Mabaa said gently yet firmly to her subordinate. Majo frowned, but nodded, and quieted down.

"We were within our rights," Azusa maintained firmly, pushing her glasses higher on her nose.

"But we will be more careful in the future," Kid added, hoping to smooth things over and get this meeting over with without a renewal of hostilities. "I assure you, the next time a rogue causes trouble, Shibusen will contact the resident witch and have them deal with it."

Mabaa cocked her head while Majo glowered, regarding the Shinigami silently; while others were often disturbed by Mabaa's conservative attire and piercing stare, Kid had never seen anything wrong or eerie about the Witch Queen's appearance (other than the lack of symmetry, of course). After all, hadn't his own father possessed a similar covering?

Finally, the Witch Queen nodded approvingly. "Nya, nya," she said, tone pleased. "Nya, nya."

"Mabaa-sama wishes you a good day, Shinigami...san." It was clear Majo hated showing any sign of respect to Kid. "We will see you soon, for the treaty signing." Both witches rose. Kid and his council followed suit, out of politeness.

"I look forward to that as well, Mabaa-san," Kid told the witch. "Good day."

The air crackled with magic, and then the two witches vanished, back to their own realm. When they were gone, Kid let out a sigh of relief and sat back down.

"I still think you trust them too much," Spirit complained, glaring at the spot Mabaa and Majo had just occupied.

"But they have earned that trust so far," Soul countered, causing the elder Death Scythe to turn the glare on him; Spirit was still sore over the fact that Soul was his beloved little girl's _boyfriend_.

"That's right," Marie agreed. "And, other than those objections raised by Majo, they have allowed us to deal with witches they themselves cannot control."

"And we will continue to trust them unless and until ample evidence gives us reason to do otherwise," Kid declared, putting the discussion to rest, for now. He knew it would come up again, as it did regularly, but there were other things that required their attention right now.

Aware of that very fact, his council soon dispersed, off to their own individual tasks, until all who was left in the room were Kid and Soul. Kid rose from table and began walking to his office, a room just off of the council meeting room; both rooms had giant mirrors through which he could communicate with Shibusen students, faculty, or whomever needed his attention.

Soul followed him into his office, holding the black suit jacket he'd worn for the meeting over his shoulder by two fingers. He waited at the doorway as Kid sat down at his desk, upon which eight neat, and rather tall, piles of papers sat.

"You need me for anything else, Kid?" Soul asked. While showing Kid the respect he was due as Shinigami-sama in formal and most public occasions, his friends, when they were alone with him, simply called him by his name, though sometimes they would refer to him with the slightly lesser honorific of Shinigami-san for fun. It suited Kid quite fine. "I told Maka I would try to catch her for lunch."

"No, you're fine," Kid answered. Soul nodded, and began to turn around, but then stopped.

"You wanna come with? If we get Black*Star, and maybe if Tsubaki is free, we could make it like old times," the Demon Scythe suggested. "Maka wouldn't mind that."

"I'm alright, but thank-you," the shinigami said. "I have a lot of paperwork to get to."

Soul sighed. "Man, I'm always trying to get out of my paperwork" Kid knew this, and Soul knew Kid knew, so there was no reason trying to deny it. "I don't know how you stand it."

"And that, my friend, is why I'm Shinigami-sama, and you're just a lowly Death Scythe," Kid informed his friend with a smirk.

Soul laughed, then grinned widely. "Oh, is that why? Alright. But seriously, one of these days I'm gonna get Liz and Patti to kidnap you from this office and take you out somewhere fun with us."

"If that day comes, maybe I'll let you," offered Kid, golden eyes amused as they looked at his friend's red ones.

Soul turned towards the door completely. "Alright, well, before I go, just wanted to tell you that Black*Star said there was some strange wavelength activity last night."

Black*Star was a rising, well, star among Death City's border patrol and security staff, mostly because he used his flamboyance and giant ego to the staff's advantage, such as painting giant replicas of his "Star Eyes" on security cameras and abandoned buildings to deter troublemakers.

"They were just human souls, which is why no one reported it, but the way they flitted in and out seemed kinda weird to Black*Star," Soul added.

Kid nodded in acknowledgement. "Thanks. Liz and Patti didn't say anything to me, so we're probably alright for now. I'll ask Black*Star to keep an eye out, though."

He didn't need to mention the reason Liz and Patti hadn't said anything was because he hadn't seen them, right? Besides, if the girls had encountered anything suspicious, surely they would have made time to tell him.

"Okay. Well, you know where to find me if you need me, Shinigami-san. I'll tell Maka you said hello," Soul said as he finally left Kid's office.

"Okay. Enjoy your lunch."

~~~

"There!" Kid exclaimed happily as he straightened out the last few pieces of completed paperwork.

Since the morning's meeting, there hadn't been much activity; he'd just had to see off a meister and Weapon pair's first mission, chide Professor (Emeritus) Stein about some recent disturbing experiment gone wrong, and speak with the governor of Nevada about some minor tax issues. That had left the rest of his day free to tackle the piles of paperwork, the completion of which brought him great pleasure.

Now that he was done, however, he suddenly wished he had taken Soul up on his offer. He looked at the clock, and was rather amazed it was already six o' clock. Where had the time gone?

_I'll see what the girls are up to,_ Kid decided/

He was a little surprised neither had come to see him today; usually at least Patti was always hovering around his office if Liz and others were in class, and her younger friends, Tsugumi Harudori and her...what was it, three meisters?... weren't busy. But it wasn't as if either Thompson was required to be there, so it wasn't such a big deal. Kid reached for the phone and dialed the house number; he didn't particularly like using the mirror unless it was for business (and the reason had nothing to do with the fact that once he accidentally called Maka and Soul's bathroom mirror...while Maka was getting into the shower...)

The phone rang eight times, and then another eight times, with no answer. Kid cocked his head, a little confused, and a little annoyed. Wasn't this when they normally had dinner? Though they could have gone out...

On impulse he dialed Maka's cell phone, but got the answer machine. Without bothering to leave a message, Kid hung up and tried Tsubaki. After only seven (irritating) rings did the Demon shadow weapon answer.

_"Hello?"_

"Tsubaki? It's Kid," Kid told her.

_"Oh, hi, Kid! What's up?"_

"I was wondering if Liz and Patti are with you," he said.

_"Oh,"_ Tsubaki answered. _"No, they're not - Angela, watch out! Not that vase!"_ There was the sound of footsteps, clunking wood, and a shriek from Tsubaki, all muffled like she had turned the phone away. After a few moments she came back on.

_"Sorry about that!"_ she said. _"Angela's being kinda rambunctious; since Kim was having a pretty stressful day, she didn't think Angela should be around her wavelength, and since I had off today, she asked if I could look after her for the day. But I haven't seen Liz or Patti at all today. Sorry."_

"That's quite alright," Kid assured. "Thank-you, Tsubaki." He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair, thinking. Something suddenly didn't feel right.

"Liz, Patti," he murmured, hands interlocked, staring intently at the floor as he thought. "Where are you...?"

~~~

Brooklyn was just like she remembered it.

The smell, the noise, the crowds – it had always felt to Liz that the city was alive, its own organism, and she had flattered her sister and herself by imagining criminals like them to be the heartbeat of the creature that was Brooklyn.

Her role in the city was even the same as back then: crouched in a dark alley, gripping the cold metal of Patti's weapon form, waiting for some sucker to come along so she could rob him. Or, well, maybe not; back then she'd been her own master, responsible for only herself and Patti, unconcerned with anyone or anything else. Now, she was beholden to _Fireworks Franky_ in order to keep a whole city, and the people she called friends, safe.

_No_ , Liz decided as she spotted a bedraggled looking man walking her way, dirty-looking and jittery, _it isn't the same at all._

The jittery man might not seem like a good target, but she had made her fair share of illegal purchases to know this was a junkie looking for a fix, and soon. And junkies looking for a fix always had money on them.

When the man reached the beginning of the alley, Liz jumped out, thrusting Patti in his face. "Hands up, wallet out, or I shoot!" she threatened menacingly. The junkie paled and backed up, stumbling over his own feet. He had long, dark, greasy hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in weeks; torn shorts; and a patchwork shirt. She'd put his age at mid-twenties.

"P-please," he begged, shaking; she couldn't tell if it was from fear or withdrawal. "I-I-I need this money. D-don't rob me!"

"I don't _care_ if you need it!" she yelled at him, leaning closer, placing Patti on his collarbone. The man's Adam's apple bobbed nervously. " _I_ **want** it, so hand it over!"

Something twisted uncomfortably in Liz's stomach as the junkie fumbled in his pockets, finally emerging with a brown leather wallet that looked just as dirty as he did. But maybe some good could come out of this; maybe missing a fix would encourage him to get clean.

_Sis, I feel really bad,_ Patti told her as Liz snatched the wallet from the man with the hand that wasn't holding her sister. _This is really wrong._

_I know, Patti,_ Liz answered. _But think of it as a play. We're both just acting, until we can get that button from Franky._

She took a deep breath, steadying herself, before lifting her leg and kicking the man in the chest; he went down with a gasp and a groan. She towered over him, and summoned up the insane, psycho grin she and Patti had perfected from the days they themselves were insane and psycho.

"One more thing," she told him. "You tell them – your seller, your fellow junkies, hell, even your _mother_ – that we're back. You tell 'em, that the Thompson Sisters, the Devils of Brooklyn, _are back!"_


	3. In the Crosshairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter will have the first of several "cameos" of characters from other series, such as Fullmetal Alchemist and Teen Titans 2003. This was an idea I was playing around with, so I hope you like it. They're not strict crossovers, just using the names and designs and placing them in the world of Soul Eater.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Franky was waiting for them when they returned, sitting in a carved wooden chair in his office like some kind of king; he had his base of operations at a three-story mansion right on the water. Some of his goons lingered in the corners, guns casually displayed on their hips as a warning, though Liz knew she could outshoot all of them with Patti if it weren't for the stupid trigger Franky kept in his pocket at all times.

The kingpin's gold tooth gleamed as he grinned at them. "Hey, hey, there they are!" he exclaimed happily. "Whatcha got?"

Liz threw down their haul on his desk like it burned her: three wallets, a watch, seven rings – she had, however, absolutely refused to take any wedding rings – and a wad of cash she'd gotten off another shaking junkie, whose hair had been red as blood.

Franky observed it, picking it up the wallets and dumping out credit cards and dollar bills, most faded and folded over, though there were a few crisp ones in there. "It's a start," he mused, eyeing the sisters lazily through his eyelashes. "You've lost your touch, girls. I hope you got the message out, though?"

"Excuse us for being rusty after doing some _honest_ work for seven years," Liz replied coldly. Patti merely glared, eyes hard; she had hardly spoken a word to anyone but Liz since they'd come here, and it seemed like she would stick to that policy as a form of rebellion. "But yeah, we told everyone."

"Good, good," Franky said dismissively, turning away from them in his swivel chair

Liz wasn't ready to be done yet. "And just how much, exactly, is our "debt", as you call it?" she asked.

Franky spun back around, scowling. He obviously didn't like thinking of this as a temporary thing. He looked over at one of the goons and waved him over; the man complied, and quickly produced a calculator from...somewhere.

"What's the add-up?" Franky asked him. The man, an accountant, probably, began punching in numbers.

"Well, if we take the lawyer's bill, plus bail, and then add the money and reputation we lost cuz of your time in jail, boss..." The accountant began.

"And don't forget mental distress," Franky added.

"Of course, of course. So take all that, and the bullet proof vest, throw in some interest, and we've got a debt of...a billion."

Liz's mouth dropped open, and even Patti made a surprised squeak. "A b-billion _d-dollars?!"_ Liz choked. "But that - surely that – you can't be _serious!"_

"I am," Franky said calmly. He glanced down at the wallets and cash, then back up at the sisters. "So I suggest you get "unrusty" real quick."

Liz clenched her jaw. "You know this isn't forever," she promised. "Someone's gonna notice we're gone; we're pretty close to people in power, if you hadn't noticed."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure of that," Franky shot back. "You were thieving street rats when that kid found you; it isn't so hard to believe you'd go back to it."

Patti's hand found Liz's and gave it a hard squeeze; Liz squeezed back, trying to be comforting, though she never took her eyes off Franky. "Then at the very least, they'll find the bombs you planted. Death City has a helluva lot more smart people than Brooklyn does."

" _Rrrr_ , I don't think so!"

Liz turned at the new voice, surprised to see a woman walking through the door. She was about 6', with bulging muscles, long dark hair, and dark brown eyes. She smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, not unlike Soul. She was dressed in a long dark blue skirt and a yellow tank top; heels clacked on the marble floor as she moved over to Franky, who grinned as she came around.

She looked like a normal human, but her soul...Liz hissed and jumped back a bit from the desk, bringing Patti with her, as their hands were still clasped. "

"You're a witch," she growled.

The witch nodded happily. "Yup!" She had a deep, throaty voice, somewhat at odds with her perky, Valley-girl attitude. "But I let you see that; I'm rrreally good at Soul Prrrotect. So good, that I'm able to disguise even otherrr things, like explosives!"

Liz gasped. "So...don't tell me, this is really all a rogue witch's plot?!"

The witch blinked, then cocked her head. "What? No, Frrranky asked me to disguise some of his bombs, so I did – 'cause I love my Frrranky-bearrr _soooo_ much!" She punctuated this last statement by enveloping Franky in a bear hug, squeezing until he let out a gurgled sound. Some of Franky's henchmen winced at their boss' discomfort.

"Heh, love you, too, Calli," Franky said, slightly winded after being released from the hug. He rubbed the back of his neck, as if embarrassed, before turning to Liz and Patti. "You see, girls, I met Callisto here when looking for a way to combat your soul wavelength bullets. I got the vest from her –"

"But I just couldn't get him off my mind, one thing led to anotherrr, and so herrre we arrre!" Calli finished.

"Tch. You know Shinigami-sama won't let this go once he figures out what's going on," Liz informed the witch. "You're in violation of the treaty."

Callisto shrugged. "I don't carrre. As long as I have my Frrranky-bearrr, I can handle anything Shibusen thrrrows at me." She lifted her chin defiantly. "And I think it's time you two left us alone. Rrright, Frrranky-bearrr?"

"Ah, yes, dear," Franky agreed, making shooing motions with his hands at the sisters. Scowling, Liz turned, taking Patti with her, and exited Franky's office. She stepped on one of the guards' feet on the way out, not sorry at all when she heard him curse in pain.

When they had reached the hall, Patti squeezed her hand again and said quietly, "Don't worry, sis; Kid'll notice we're gone even if no one else does. Even if it gets bad for us, you know he'll come for us."

Liz felt tears well up in her eyes at the thought that her little sister was trying to comfort her. "I know, Patti," she answered, swallowing back a lump in her throat, suddenly exhausted. "I know."

~~~

If Border Patrol was surprised to see the leader of Death City burst into their headquarters unannounced, at one o' clock in the morning, they hid it remarkably well. Every member stood at attention as Kid walked towards the center of the room, easing up and returning to their chairs, which were placed in front of large monitors, only at his nod.

Every member, except, of course, Black*Star. Tucked all the way in the back, he had remained in his seat, which was balanced on its back legs as Black*Star placed his feet on his keyboard. When he finally noticed everyone else standing, and saw Kid was in the room, he jumped up, grin on his face.

"Yo, Kid! Come to see what awesome work I'm doing?"

The blonde woman next to him immediately slapped him upside the head, obviously furious with her subordinate's attitude, though her face betrayed nothing. Rubbing the back of his head, Black*Star amended sheepishly, "Uh, I mean, yo, Shinigami-sama! What's up?"

Kid strode over to where Black*Star was, staring at his screen, which at this moment was transmitting footage in front of Kid's own house, the Gallows. "Soul mentioned you had some unusual soul wavelength activity last night," the shinigami began. "Then Liz and Patti aren't seen all the next day. And they didn't come home at all today; I stayed up this whole time waiting for them. So, Black*Star, show me the footage."

Black*Star looked confused for a moment, or perhaps just surprised at the intensity of Kid's stare. "Uh, sure." He began typing, and eventually another image showed up on the screen; it was still the Gallows, but the time stamp was different, and it showed Liz and Patti on the front step.

Suddenly something burst from the side of the house, and the girls gave chase. "There are other instances, all around the city," said the blonde woman, who hovered over Black*Star's other shoulder.

"But since you mentioned Liz and Patti..." Black*Star explained. He hit a few more keys, and the scene changed, to the town square. The Thompsons were facing off with a bunch of men, though it seemed all they did was talk. "And here's where all the souls met up, anyway."

"What is this?" Kid muttered as he watched the screen, studiously ignoring the rest of the Border Patrol team, of whose staring he was aware.

"Well, sir," began the blond – Hawkeye, was that her name? – as the footage ended with Liz and Patti walking off with the men, seemingly without a struggle. "It looks to me almost like a defection."

The word sent Kid's mind reeling. Defection – in other words, a _betrayal? Liz and Patti?_ His own _partners?_ The idea was unfathomable.

Black*Star shared Kid's sentiments. "Then you gotta get your eyes checked, Riza-san!" he exclaimed angrily. "There's no freaking way Liz and Patti would go off like that, not willingly!"

"Watch your mouth, Star," Riza admonished briskly, voice cold and promising unpleasant things should her order be disobeyed. She turned to Kid. "Forgive me if my explanation seemed untoward, Shinigami-sama, but I merely offered an explanation that I believed fit the facts."

"Th-that's alright," Kid replied uncertainly, not sure if it was. "I-I suppose it _does_ rather look like that."

"But you know it isn't!" Black*Star insisted, ignoring the glare Riza was sending him. "Ki-I mean, Shinigami-sama, they're _your_ Weapons! Surely you know what this is about better than anyone!"

Kid clenched his jaw as he thought. He _did_ know the Thompsons, better than anyone, or so he thought...

No, he couldn't think like that. Liz and Patti _were_ loyal. They were his Weapons, his partners, his friends. He had to trust them.

"They probably realized these...men were a threat, no matter how that they're regular humans, and decided to do some immediate undercover work; there wasn't time to alert anyone."

Black*Star nodded approvingly, while Riza eyed the shinigami somewhat critically, clearly doubting his reasoning. But all she said was, "Is that what you're going with, sir?"

Kid stared into her brown eyes defiantly, as if she were his superior instead of the other way around. "Yes, that's what I'm going with."

Riza nodded. "Very good, then, sir. Shall we keep you posted if these wavelengths are detected again?"

"Yes, please do," Kid answered, relieved he wouldn't have to fight her on this. He turned and began to walk out. "Have a good rest of the night, Hawkeye-san. I thank you and your team for your service."

Stepping out into the cool night air, Border Patrol's "It's no problem!"'s and "Our pleasures!"'s at his back, Kid took a deep breath to calm himself. Drinking in the feel of his city, knowing each and every citizen's soul wavelength, always made him feel better, always reminded him what and whom he was sworn to protect. What and whom Liz and Patti had sworn to protect along with him, as his partners, "for however long [he] chose," as Liz had told him.

Kid arched his neck back as he walked back to his large and considerably empty home.


	4. Hands Up

"...sama. Shinigami..."

A sigh was heard, a long, suffering one. Then,

"KID!"

Kid's head snapped up from his desk to look at Sid Barret. The zombie wore an exasperated expression on his face, probably because Kid hadn't heard a word of what he'd just said. He held a bunch of papers in his hand, the weekly report.

"Oh, um, sorry, Sid," Kid said, still slightly distracted. This was the third day Liz and Patti had been missing, and he could hardly focus on anything else. He kept hoping either his phone or mirror would ring, but so far no luck. "What were you saying? Something about...witches?"

Sid sighed again. "Actually, I was talking about a few things," he replied pointedly, frowning at his leader. "One was about the protests – they're getting a bit rowdier, and police have had to arrest a few of the worst rabble rousers, but I believe they've got things under control. Another thing, the Control Team in Moscow is, again, requesting that an _actual_ Death Scythe be placed in charge there; it seems the worst of the pre-kishins are showing up there."

Kid sighed at that. Ever since the deaths of Death Scythe Tsar Pushka and his meister Feodor, whose souls were unable to stand inhabiting the Black Blood globs for long, Pushka's zone, Eastern Europe, had been left Death Scythe-less. Kid had sent experienced meister-Weapon teams to take their place, since all the other Death Scythes' zones were too far removed from Russia to be useful there. The teams always did fine, but every year, when all the Death Scythes were in Death City on the occasion of the treaty signing, Moscow always asked for a new Death Scythe. Usually Kid brushed it off, assuring the teams they were doing fine, but maybe it was time he considered sending someone.

"Alright, I'll think about their request," Kid told Sid. The zombie gave him a look as if he didn't believe him, then cleared his throat.

"And, ah, one more thing," Sid said, a bit hesitantly. "Of a...more personal note to yourself, Shinigami-sama."

Kid came to full attention, no longer distracted. "Oh?"

Sid shuffled his papers, then continued, "Special Agent Riza Hawkeye gave me this report; it says that Border Patrol investigated the places where the foreign wavelengths were detected, and found nothing –"

"Nothing? At all?" Kid interrupted, tone suspicious. What _could_ those men have been doing in Death City? What about them made Liz and Patti want to investigate?

Sid shook his head. "Not that they could tell." Sid paused for a moment, then, not looking at Kid, added, "And we have some...interesting news from Brooklyn, New York."

Kid blinked. "Brooklyn?" he repeated, tensing. "What about Brooklyn?"

"Well, it – the information, I mean – it says that..." Sid trailed off, then took a breath he didn't need anymore. "It claims that the infamous Devils of Brooklyn have returned."

Kid's eyes widened as he stared at the zombie in shock. He had wanted news on the girls, but he certainly hadn't expected _this_ kind of news. "Do you – I mean, you don't think – it's _not_ them," the shinigami finished aggressively, narrowing his eyes at Sid.

"There's never been any reports, not even rumors, of copycats," Sid pointed out, holding his ground.

"But that's all these are at present, aren't they? Rumors?" Kid insisted.

Sid paused, considering. "At present, yes," he conceded. "But our source is very reliable."

"Then the source is confused," Kid argued, irritation growing. "Or else...okay, maybe they have gone back to their former lifestyle, but I'm _positive_ they must be working an angle. Liz and Patti have _not_ betrayed us!"

"I never said they did," Sid said quickly, raising his arms as if surrendering. "I'm merely telling you what the report said. Doubting the loyalty of my comrades is not something a man like I was would do lightly."

Kid's shoulders slumped; he suddenly felt exhausted. "Get in touch with this source of yours, and see if he can get closer to these "Devils,"" he ordered. "Let me know what he discovers."

"Yes, sir," Sid acknowledged with a nod. He placed his papers on Kid's desk. "My advice, if you'll take it, though, Shinigami-sama? Even if the girls have defected, don't let that distract you from other things. They wouldn't want that."

Kid let that sink in for a moment, then nodded briskly. "Thank-you, Sid," he said tightly. Sid nodded once more, then exited Kid's office without another sound.

~~~

Liz plopped down on the common room couch with a huff. Located on the top story of Franky's mansion, it was one of the few rooms they were allowed in, along with the kitchen, the bathroom, Franky's office, and the bedroom they had been given. Usually Patti and Liz spent most of the time in their room, but, as it lacked mirrors (as did the bathroom in their room), the two hoped to find a moment to slip away and contact Kid. Plus, Patti had reasoned, it was a good idea to get the layout of their prison.

So far they'd had no luck, since Franky had assigned watchdogs on them at all times, even a woman for bathroom breaks. It was extremely irritating, to say the least.

The common room itself, however, was actually pretty nice. It had pool and foosball tables, a couple vending machines, and a gambling station set up in the corner. There were three couches, including the loveseat the Thompsons were presently occupying, and even a rocking chair; Franky could get sentimental like that.

"Yo, Lizzy!" With a confused frown, Liz and Patti turned to see a blond twenty-something male coming towards them. He was tall but skinny, and wore dark jeans and a white T-shirt. His eyes were blue.

He seemed familiar somehow...

"Jason?" Liz asked, surprised. Back in the day, she and Patti had formed somewhat of an alliance with Jason Atlee after he'd let them stay with him a couple days while hiding from the gang that had accidentally killed his older brother.

The boy grinned, revealing somewhat crooked teeth; living on the streets didn't give a person much money to spend on braces. "You remember me!" he exclaimed. "Oh, this is great, it's been too long!"

"Yeah...great..." Liz repeated, less than enthused at the circumstances. "What are you...what are you doing with these guys?"

Jason shrugged. "Franky offers a job," he answered. "Some money, a place to live. Protection from other gangs." He shrugged again. "You know what I'm saying?"

"A real benefits package," Liz drawled sarcastically, but Jason seemed unaffected by her attitude. He fished around in his pocket for a moment, then pulled out a cigarette; from the smell, Liz knew it wasn't filled with tobacco.

"C'mon, how 'bout we catch up?" Jason suggested, offering her the joint. "Me and some of the boys were just about to step out; wanna join?"

Before Liz could even open her mouth to respond, Patti reached out and smacked the joint out of Jason's hand; her face was red and she looked livid.

"Shut the f**k up," the younger sister snarled, breaking her policy of silence. "My sister doesn't do that sh*t anymore, so get out of our faces!"

Jason looked startled, backing away from the angry Weapon. "I – I didn't know," he stammered, looking back and forth between the girls.

Liz just shrugged, though she did place a calming hand on Patti's shoulder. "Yeah, well, I don't," she said. Not since Kid took them away from it all.

Well, not since a year after that, actually. When they first stayed in Death City, on probation working at Deathbucks, Liz would sneak out in the middle of the night, Patti in hand, and go scouring in the shadiest parts of Death City (because they existed, even there) for a fix; it was almost like they'd never left Brooklyn.

On the eve of their last day on probation, just as she'd been heading out for another score (at least she'd lessened it to every two weeks instead of one), Kid had stopped her; he'd sat her down and explained that, if she didn't start getting help for her addictions, he'd send her away and train with just Patti. She hadn't known him quite as well then, to know what a terrible lie that was; she hadn't known _just_ how crippling his OCD was. So while she'd scoffed and turned away from the judgmental – _probably more like caring, but she'd never seen such a look from anyone but Patti before_ – look in his golden eyes, she checked herself into a rehab the next day, because the only thing that pained her more than being separated from Patti, was the knowledge that Patti would have a better life without her.

Jason soon recovered, and said, "Well, alright. Then how 'bout we just talk here? I mean, you girls look pretty lonely over here on your own. What's the point of being in a gang if you ain't gonna form the _connections?_ Am I right?"

Liz and Patti looked at each other. It was obvious Jason didn't know they were here against their will. Probably only the ones who had been in Death City that night were aware of the girls' situation.

_What do you think, Patti?_ Liz asked her sister's soul. Patti bit her lip, eyeing Jason up.

_He doesn't know 'bout us, sis. But maybe he knows more about Franky. Maybe he knows about that witch._

_Good thinking,_ Liz told her, approvingly. She turned back to Jason. She smiled, maybe a little flirtatiously. "Sure," she told him. She moved over on the couch and patted the empty space. "Sit down and catch us up. Why don't you start with how long you've been with Franky..."


	5. Point Blank

Another night, another alley, another job.

Liz was really getting tired of this routine, and she knew Patti was, too. Truthfully, she was worried about Patti, who kept thrashing about in bed at night, and only seemed at peace when held in Liz's hand in Weapon form. Because of this, Liz had done all the muggings so far, to make her sister feel safer.

Even though it was only May, the night was rather humid, and Liz had to wipe beads of sweat from her forehead with her free hand. Their first day with Franky, he had sent some people to buy the girls clothes; they'd refused at first, but eventually Liz couldn't stand wearing the same thing four days in a row, and so had changed into a red tank-top and denim shorts, while Patti swapped her cowgirl outfit out for gold shorts and a short-sleeved, turquoise V-neck shirt.

 _Dead ahead, sis_ , Patti told Liz, causing the _de facto_ meister's eyes to look forward until she saw a young guy walking towards them. She crouched down in the shadows, holding her breath as he came closer. There was something about him that seemed familiar. Was it his hair? It glowed red in the light of a nearby streetlamp, as did the shirt he wore; he also had bright yellow shorts on. 

_What's with this kid?_ Liz wondered. _Is he **trying** to stand out? _She let the thought go, however, when the boy stopped just short of the alley. He looked rather relaxed: shoulders slouched, hands in his pocket. He was a fool, then, for not taking in his surroundings; there were even worse things than the Thompsons in this area at night, things even the men Franky had watching their every job, feared.

"I know you're there," the guy called suddenly, causing Liz to tense. He removed his hands from his pockets. "Liz and Patti Thompson, yeah? In case you don't remember me, you robbed me at gunpoint a couple nights ago."

So that's why he seemed so familiar; he was the only redhead they'd mugged. After a moment of deliberation, Liz stepped of the shadows cautiously, making sure Patti was visible in the streetlamp's paltry glow.

"We've robbed a lotta punks," she said with a scowl. The guy smiled at her lazily, green eyes amused. Why wasn't he afraid? He'd been close to soiling his pants the other night, of that she was sure, so what could have caused such a turn-around? She'd been a bit surprised the first time around, to tell the truth, because even she had been able to sense he had a strong soul, though she was fairly certain it was a meister soul, and there'd been no Weapon partner in sight.

"Yeah, so I've noticed," the guy said. Then he hit himself on the forehead, lightly, with his hand. Gave a small chuckle. "Ah, sorry, where are my manners? Roy Harper, meister, and a member of Shibusen CIA."

Liz's eyes widened in surprise, and, grip on Patti tightening, jumped back a little, sizing the guy — Roy — up cautiously. Though she'd never met any of the CIA members — their identities were one of the few things Kid refused to share with his Weapons — Liz knew they were all expertly trained in espionage, combat, assassination, and other things necessary to their field. Mostly they had been used to gather intel on witches and their plans through the years, and still were, as well as particularly strong evil human souls.

Liz's eyes searched the streets behind Roy, trying to see if she could find his partner; CIA Weapons could work alone if they chose, many having honed their skills to do battle without a meister, but meisters always had a Weapon, no exceptions. When sight alone didn't reveal what she sought, Liz tried using Soul Perception, but only picked up Franky's thugs and the residents of the apartments they were under.

"C'mon, you think _you_ would be able to find my partner?" Roy asked in a mocking tone, hands on his hips. Liz scowled at him and pointed Patti at his chest. They still had a facade to put on.

"What does Shibusen CIA want with us?" she asked suspiciously. It made sense if news of the Brooklyn Devils' return had reached Shibusen (reached _Kid_ , she thought guiltily), but had they really sent agents after them? They could have been investigating Franky, but he and his crooks were just human, and not quite at the level of an evil human soul, though she figured they must be close.

 _Sis, you don't think he's here to...you know...do you?_ Patti asked, sounding worried and even a little hurt. Liz was confused for a moment, then it sunk in what Patti meant: CIA was skilled in assassination, and weren't agents supposed to keep their identities and jobs a secret? Unless whomever they were speaking to wasn't going to get a chance to use it against them...

 _No!_ Liz shook off the thought, answering herself as well as Patti. _No, of course not, Patti. Kid would never let that happen. C'mon, you givin' up on him already?_

 _Of course not,_ Patti answered forcefully, sounding relieved, though. _I'm not at all! I just wanted to make sure you knew that, too. Duh._

_Duh. Of course I do._

Roy cleared his throat, bringing the sisters' attention back on him. "Well, in truth, you weren't part of the original mission," he informed them, making Liz sighed in relief. "The real target is Francesco Scafidi, but I was instructed to gather information on you two, considering you're hanging with him now." The agent narrowed his eyes at them, and actually seemed angry. "So you mind telling me what you think you're doing, hanging with him, I mean?"

Liz hesitated, unsure how much she should reveal in the presence of their stupid babysitters. The thugs usually stayed a fair distance away from the sisters during muggings, so they probably couldn't hear Liz and Roy's conversation, but she wanted to be sure.

Then again, this CIA agent could be their only way to contact Kid. Through their conversation with Jason earlier, the Thompsons had learned Franky's entire mansion was mirrorless. Patti had angrily accused him of lying, but he'd insisted it was true, saying a few weeks ago every one of the reflectors had been removed – Franky had explained it away to his gang as giving into his girlfriend Calli's wishes. While Jason hypothesized that she had really bad self-esteem, Liz and Patti had agreed that the witch was trying to cover her tracks and hide from Shibusen.

"How 'bout a trade?" Liz offered finally. "You give us some of your information, and we'll give you some of ours."

 _Sounds fair, sis,_ Patti encouraged.

Roy raised an eyebrow. "What, you conducting your own investigation?"

"Maybe we are," Liz answered evenly. Realizing Patti was still pointed at Roy's chest, she lowered her slightly, hoping that would make him more inclined to agree.

The agent crossed his arms over his chest and contemplated her offer for a while, but eventually he nodded. "Alright," he said. "A few months back, Franky got out of prison. Because of his past history, and the fact that a few of his men have been on Shinigami-sama's list, it was decided he needed to be watched. Sure enough, he was back to his old tricks.

"But what really got the agency's attention was when he started making frequent visits to a known witch. She hadn't been causing any trouble, not enough to write her up anyway, but then she went and moved in with him. Suspicious, don't you think?"

Roy then cocked his head, looking Liz up and down. "But more suspicious is what you two are doing. How'd you get mixed up Franky? Why did you leave Shinigami-sama? You're his Weapons, aren't you? Word is, a lotta the higher-ups are trying to convince him you've turned traitor."

Liz went rigid at that word. _Traitor._ Did Kid really think they'd betrayed him? If his council had to convince him, maybe he was holding out, insisting they were loyal. but what if he was losing that conviction?

 _We **are** loyal,_ Patti reminded, feeling the turmoil in her sister's soul. _Kid knows that, and here's our chance to prove it! Tell him what we know!_

 _Right._ Liz nodded, reassured. To Roy she said, "Well, you can take this back to your bosses, especially Shinigami-sama. Patti and I are, and plan to remain, loyal to Shinigami-sama and Shibusen. The reason we're with Franky is because we're trying to protect Death City; he's planted bombs in the city."

Roy blinked, looking shocked. "You – seriously?" he asked. "He's – Franky's _blackmailing_ you?"

Liz nodded and said seriously, "Yes. And –"

"Hey!"

Roy jumped back into the shadows while Liz turned, to see Franky's goons descending on the, looking annoyed. There were four of them - the one who had shouted, a tall, somewhat muscular man with black hair and blue-gray eyes, scowled at them and said,

"Just what is the hold-up, girls? It's been a while since we've heard any _actual_ mugging going on."

Liz glared right back and hefted Patti over her shoulder. "What d'you care, jackass?" she snapped, enjoying the deepening of the man's scowl at the name. "What's it matter if we like to play with our food before we eat it? We're still better a' our jobs than _you."_

The man's face turned red, and he took a swing at Liz. She dodged it almost effortlessly — even if the guy wasn't as clumsy as an ox, he didn't have near the fighting skills Liz and Patti did. When he kept coming at her, continually throwing punches, Liz, with a roll of her eyes, began to transform; Patti, knowing what to do, began the change as well.

Two glowing pink lights hung in the air for a moment, and then it was Patti holding gun-form Liz, pointing it right at the goon's head. He froze.

"I'll shoot you," Patti said tonelessly. The man's Adam's apple bulged as he swallowed, and he backed away slowly. His fellow gang members snickered at his failure.

"Ah, c'mon, man, you gonna let these b**ches pwn you like that?" One of them asked, cruel smile on his face.

The man turned red again, this time from embarrassment. He was about to answer, when Patti, head cocked, fired a shot at their feet. All four of them jumped back, startled, and looked at Patti.

"I told you," she said, "that I'd shoot you."

The four of them looked at each other uneasily, until finally one of them spat in the dirt and turned around. "Let's just go," he said over his shoulder as he began to walk. Two followed him, while the remaining one, the one who had been throwing punches, glared expectantly at Patti.

 _C'mon, Patti,_ Liz said to her sister, in a soft voice. _You know what we gotta do._

 _Yeah_ , came Patti's surly response (Liz was relieved to hear emotion in the younger girl's "voice"). With a resigned sigh, Patti followed after.

~~~

Being woken up before she was ready was one of Liz's biggest pet peeves, but being woken up by her door being slammed open and a cacophony of harsh voices yelling for her to get up was _infinitely_ worse.

The sound of the door smacking against the wall startled Liz so bad she tumbled off the side of the bed, landing with a hard _Thump!_ on the hardwood floor. Patti shot up beside her, eyes wide (though there were two double beds in the room, the sisters had taken to sharing one).

"Up, up, up!" One of Franky's goons shouted, one of the few women in the gang. A tall, well-toned woman in her late twenties with magenta hair and lavender eyes. She had a cruel smile on her face. Behind her were three men, the Thompsons' usual guards.

"What the hell is going on!?" Liz demanded angrily, getting up and refusing to rub her backside, even though it hurt a lot. Magenta-hair just jerked a thumb behind her.

"Boss wants ya in his office," was all she said before exiting the room, allowing the guards to come in and haul the two out of the room. Feeling invaded, Liz desperately wanted to fight, but she knew she ought to comply. Though Patti had a murderous look in her eyes, she likely knew the same, as she did nothing as they were forcefully paraded to Franky's office.

"What's the meaning of this?" Liz snarled at Franky when they entered the room, but then her eyes widened as she saw what — rather, who — was lying on the floor in the middle of the room.

Roy Harper, Shibusen CIA, was currently being held down on the floor by Callisto sitting on his back. Another person, probably Roy's Weapon, was struggling against two of Franky's strongest men, a look of rage on his face. He had short black hair and wore a blue T-shirt and what looked like a blue bathing suit.

Roy looked over at the girls and attempted a small smile. He had a black eye and a few cuts on his face. "Ah, lovely. You've brought in the top dogs for me. I'm flattered."

Liz was somewhat hurt at that, but then pushed it aside. What did it matter what he thought? Patti and she knew what they were doing, which is more than she could say for Roy — what kind of agent was he, getting captured by mere humans like this.

"So glad you could come," Callisto exclaimed in her deep voice, as if they hadn't been abducted from their beds. She turned to Franky. "Frranky-bearrr, why don't you answerrr theirrr question?"

"Of course, my dear," Franky replied, leaning back in his chair. He looked at Liz and Patti. "You see, girls, when Donnie and Raph told me how...poorly you performed tonight, not too mention threatening my boys, I decided a test was in order, make sure you remembered what you're really here for."

Liz's throat constricted when his hand neared his shirt pocket, where the detonator sat. "No, please —!"

Franky chuckled, then removed his hand. "Don't worry, darlin', I didn't think you were that naughty. No, no, since this is your first offense, I'll make it easy." He pointed at Roy. "We caught these two bozos sneaking around the house. So, your test of loyalty is to shoot him."

"No!" Roy's partner shouting, straining against his captors. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare turn traitor on us!"

Liz winced, even as she held out her hand; automatically, Patti transformed, landing in her sister's waiting palm. She pointed Patti at Roy, who stared up at her with a solemn gaze.

Franky was laughing as he addressed Roy's Weapon, "Man, kid, didn't you know? They're already traitors to you!"

"I just have to shoot him?" Liz clarified, tone distant. Franky nodded.

"Yeah. Just him, I promise — I'm not cruel." His smile, however, definitely was.

 _Sis,_ Patti said quietly, worriedly. _I don't like this but —_

 _Yeah, Patti, I know,_ Liz answered. _I know what we gotta do._ She leveled Patti, and took a deep breath. Squeezed the trigger.

Bang.


	6. Target Practice

Kid turned at the sound of the Death Room door being opened. Three people walked in, a woman in her early twenties, and two boys – identical twins, from the looks of them – barely older than eight. She was black-skinned and black-eyed, with her tall Afro pulled into two buns on both sides of her head; her outfit consisted of black leggings and a yellow-and-black striped tank top. The boys, both messy redheads, were dressed in matching white shorts, but one had a red shirt on while the other wore yellow.

Despite their casual appearance, Kid knew this meister-Weapon trio was a formidable force, and the only reason they weren't official members of the CIA was because of young age of the boys, Miguel and Mario Santos. They could transform into Demon "stingers", or handheld lightning rods, which, along with her preferred dress style, had earned their meister, Karen Beecher, the nickname "Bumblebee."

The reason Kid had called them in was a personal matter, both for him and them – they were good friends with Garth Brooks and Roy Harper (the latter being Mario and Miguel's maternal cousin); the two agents were currently residing in a Brooklyn hospital, and were communicating with Kid through a handheld mirror kindly provided by a nurse. Roy was lying in bed, hooked up to an IV, his side wrapped in bandages. Garth sat in a chair next to the bed, eyes bloodshot, most likely from lack of sleep, but looking otherwise unharmed.

"Hey, you called in the crew!" Roy exclaimed, waving cheerfully at Karen and his cousins. Karen scowled back at him, hands on her hips.

"Just what are you looking so happy about?" she demanded. "I'm still really upset with you! How the heck did you get captured like that? Some agents you are!"

"Rooooyyyy," Mario and Miguel whined in unison, rushing up to the mirror, "we were _soooo_ worried about you!"

"Hey, hey, little guys, it's alright," Roy assured them, smiling. "It's really not that bad. This bullet couldn't kill, even if the shooter wanted it to!"

"Which, of course, leads us to the most important part," Kid announced, stepping closer to the mirror; at that, the twins dropped back respectfully. Roy focused his whole attention on Kid.

"Do you think, given the chance, Liz or Patti Thompson would have shot to kill you?" Kid hated saying the words, though his voice was steady and betrayed no emotion.

The look on Roy's was face was pensive. After a while, he shook his head slowly. "No. No, I don't think they would."

Garth held the exact opposite opinion, however. "What d'ya mean, _no?!"_ he exclaimed, hands clenched into fists. "They've clearly gone over to the darkside! She shot right at your heart!"

"No, she didn't, actually," Roy corrected over his cousins' horrified gasps. "The docs said it was one millimeter over enough to not damage the heart, _or_ lungs." He gestured to his side. "It was a clean shot!"

"If Liz was truly aiming at your heart, she would have hit it," Kid informed them, a small hint of pride in his voice. Liz was an excellent shot, self-learned from her years of mugging on the streets, and the later battles she would fight as Kid's Weapon. Patti was nearly as good, but as she was often the Weapon to her sister's meister, she had less experience.

"See, then, there ya go," Roy said, turning to his Weapon. Garth, a Demon bow who turned parts of his meister's soul wavelength into arrows, similar to how Liz and Patti turned theirs into bullets, scowled. He was still obviously put out, but it was understandable, considering he had been unable to protect his meister and friend from harm.

"I still don't know," he replied grouchily. Roy rolled his eyes.

"Okay, look, I know it seems bad," he said, tone rather gentle. "But they were definitely holding back, at least Liz was. I don't know whether Franky knew their bullets can't kill or not, but he was obviously expecting the girls to at least _try_ to take me out. And they clearly went out of their way to, well, not do that. And besides, they explained themselves to me in the alley."

Garth pursed his lips. "Yes, right, the bombs. Which no one has been able to find."

" _Yet_ ," Kid interrupted, his tone drawing a slightly sheepish look from Garth. The shinigami refused to believe Liz and Patti were lying, and so no matter how many times Hawkeye told him her team couldn't find anything, he always made them go back out. He knew Hawkeye, at least, was nearing the end of her patience with him in that regard, but Black*Star was constantly assuring him that the rest of the Border Patrol was behind him 100%. At this point, however, he was getting so desperate, he was thinking about getting Maka to use her Soul Perception to scan the city.

Kid sighed, wishing that this affair could just be over. Schooling his features, however, he turned back to Roy. "Despite your...setback, were you able to succeed in your mission?"

Roy grinned. "All bugs successfully planted," he declared, even giving a thumbs-up. Kid nodded approvingly while Karen looked between him and her friend before cocking her head in confusion.

"Do you mean," she began, tone suspicious, "that you _meant_ to get captured?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _meant_ , exactly," Garth answered, somewhat ruefully.

Roy winked at Karen. "Franky put them through a test of loyalty – well, so did we. And despite Garth's objections, I think they passed."

Karen laughed out loud. "Man, you guys are some tricky bastards!" She looked at the Santos twins. "See, didn't I tell you they were too tough to get taken down by some normie punks?"

As the twins laughed in relief, Kid said to Roy and Garth, "I thank you for your service, gentlemen. And, Roy, I hope your recovery is swift. It may not kill you, but I know how much such a wound can hurt."

One of the first nights Liz and Patti lived with him, he had gone into Patti's room to see if he'd put the sheets on precisely right, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't wake her. To his surprise, she hadn't been there. After looking in the bathrooms and the kitchen, he'd headed to Liz's room, figuring she would want to know her sister was missing. But when he'd entered the room, Liz had shot up in bed and fired at him from Patti, who evidently had been sleeping with her sister in Weapon form. Startled, Kid hadn't been able to dodge in time, and experienced firsthand just how deadly his new Weapons could be.

"It might not always be a pleasure, but it is certainly an honor to serve you, Shinigami-sama," Garth answered as he and his partner saluted. Kid nodded once more, then headed to his office, allowing Karen and the boys to talk with each other for a bit.

Mind filled with this new information on his partners, he didn't notice until he sat down at his desk that he had a visitor.

Dressed in a short-sleeved red shirt and a knee-length navy blue skirt, hands on her hips, Maka Albarn stood glaring at her friend.

"Kid," she growled. "We need to talk."

Kid blinked, startled. "Maka?" he said dumbly, though it was obviously the Scythe meister. She had grown a little taller since her high school days, and a little sharper in the face, but little else had changed, especially not her workaholic attitude nor her devotion to her friends. "Don't you – don't you have classes today?"

She waved the question away. "I don't go in until one today," she answered dismissively. "More importantly, aren't _you_ supposed to be bringing Liz and Patti back?"

The shinigami blinked again, and then his confusion was replaced by annoyance. "If you _knew_ what I've been doing to find them," he said in a low voice, "you wouldn't be asking me that."

"Black*Star and Soul have been telling me," she replied, arms leaving her hips to be crossed over her chest, "but you haven't actually _sent_ anyone to go after them. Why? Do you not _want_ them to back?"

"Of _course_ I want them back!" he snapped, rising from his chair. "Honestly, Maka, now is _not_ the time to be worried I'm going to take Soul away from you!"

She reeled back, shocked, and a hurt look flashed across her face. Seeing it, Kid sighed, feeling bad. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to imply –"

"No, no, it was my bad," Maka interrupted stiffly. Then she was the one sighing, and let her hands fall to her sides. "I mean – I shouldn't have come into your office like this and accused you of not caring. I'm just worried about them, you know? I feel like I should be doing something – Soul told me there's been some rumors about them being in Brooklyn, and imagining them back there..."

"I know," Kid said, sitting back down and gesturing for Maka to do the same in the seat straight across from him. She did so as he continued, "I understand your concern, Maka. But you have to believe me, I'm doing all I can to get to the bottom of this."

"What do you know so far?" she asked, almost cautiously, as if testing her limits.

"Well, according to a source who spoke with them," Kid began, knowing he had to keep the knowledge of the CIA's involvement to himself as much as he could, "Liz and Patti have gone undercover for the safety of Death City, but have until now been unable to make contact. The whole Brooklyn Devils thing, of course, is an act," he added, somewhat forcefully, though he knew Maka would never doubt their friends. "To maintain their cover."

"Of course," Maka affirmed immediately. Then her eyebrows knit together as she tilted her head. "Undercover...? I knew it had to be something like that, obviously, but..." Then she straightened up, green eyes flashing determinedly as they bored into Kid. "Is someone threatening Death City? That's why they left? Is there anything I can do?"

Kid's earlier thought, about putting Maka's exceptional Soul Perception to use, sprang back to mind. "You know, Maka, now that you mention it –"

The rest of his words were cut off as the floor suddenly exploded beneath them.


	7. Magazine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify from last chapter: there were some more cameos, from the 2003 animated cartoon "Teen Titans," mainly the Titans East; Karen Beecher, Roy Harper, and Garth Brooks are the real/"civilian" names of Bumblebee, Speedy, and Aqualad, respectively. I had to make up Mas y Manos' names, since they're OCs of the show and have no DC comic counterpart.
> 
> Also, I figured it was high time Maka made an appearance, since I touched on everyone but her; I mean, we haven't even heard her voice like with Tsubaki. Sorry that her appearance was her being hostile and possibly immature, but she smoothed out in the end, right? I just kept thinking about she reacted when Crona left (especially in the anime) and just thought it felt right.

**Previously** _:_ _Kid's earlier thought, about putting Maka's exceptional Soul Perception to use, sprang back to mind. "You know, Maka, now that you mention it –"_

_The rest of his words were cut off as the floor suddenly exploded beneath them._

_20 minutes earlier..._

"Thompsons!"

Liz and Patti looked up at Magenta-hair, expressions guarded as she sauntered towards them into the rec room. Beside the sisters, Jason stopped talking mid-sentence, a mix of surprise and apprehension on his face.

"What?" Liz snapped, glaring at Magenta-hair. The woman jerked a thumb behind her at the door.

"Callisto wants to see you," she answered.

Jason stepped forward, almost protectively, frowning. "So what? She's not the boss."

Now Magenta-hair was the one frowning. "Better watch your mouth, Jason," she warned. "She's not the boss, true, but she's the _boss'_ boss, and the one he put in charge while he's away. So if she wants to see these two" she pointed a finger at Liz and Patti "then she sees 'em. _Capiche?"_

"It's okay, Jason," Liz said quickly, laying a hand on his shoulder as he opened his mouth. "We'll be fine. Come on, Patti."

Her sister nodded and together they following the smirking Magenta out of the rec room, down the hall, and into Franky's office. As Liz entered, a shiver went down her spine as she thought about how much blood Roy had lost when she'd shot him, and the cruel way Franky's men had dumped him and his partner out in the street.

Patti grabbed her hand and squeezed it in comfort, clearly knowing what direction her sister's thoughts were going. Liz squeezed back, then turned to face Callisto.

The witch, who was leaning against Franky's desk, was dressed in a sapphire blue blouse and black yoga pants that flared out at the bottom. She also wore a pair of gold hoops in her ears. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed Magenta, who closed the door behind them. Her eyes were amused as she looked at them.

"So," she drawled, "you two arrre the famous Thompson sisterrrs, Shinigami's own Weapons."

Though she expected it, Liz scowled at the lack of honorific for Kid's name; neither she nor Kid lorded it over people, but she wouldn't stand for such a deliberate disrespect of her meister and friend. "That's Shinigami- _sama_ to you," she stressed. "And why did you want us?"

Callisto cocked her head and ignored the question, saying, "How does that make those Death Scythes feel, I wonderrr? When you'rrre not even on theirrr level?"

"We're plenty strong enough!" Patti snapped indignantly. "The only reason we're not Death Scythes is because Kid made a treaty with witches like _you!_ A treaty that you're _breaking_ right now."

"Oh, what do I carrre about trrreaties and Shibusen?" Callisto replied, waving a hand dismissively.

"Enough to defy them both by planting bombs in Death City," Liz countered. "The longer you keep them there, the worse your punishment is going to be."

"I told you, those werrre forrr Frrranky," said Callisto. Then she straightened up and walked towards them, a coy smile on her face. She leaned forward into Liz and Patti's faces, but they each refused to lean away, unwilling to show any sign of weakness to this witch.

Callisto whispered, "But between us girls, don't you worrrrry; I'll keep yourrr little secrrret."

Liz frowned. What secret could they have that neither Franky nor his girlfriend knew about? They knew the real reason the Thompsons were in Franky's gang. The only thing she could think of was that Callisto had somehow found out that Garth and Roy were Shibusen agents, and that Liz had told Roy about the bombs in Death City.

"What are you talking about?" she asked finally.

Callisto giggled. "That that boy you shot is still alive," she answered.

As Liz stiffened, Patti jumped to defend her, insisting, "That doesn't need to be kept secret! Franky said all Sis had to do was shoot that guy, and that's what she did! And if he wanted him dead so bad, then he shoulda given Sis a _real_ gun, instead of letting her use me!"

"Well, you two know how much I love my Frrranky-bearrr," Callisto responded, "but he does have some flaws. One of which being that he thinks he knows everrrything about ourrr worrrld." She shrugged. "He prrrobably thought yourrr bullet _could_ kill. But you'rrre rrright — I'll have to teach him to be morrre specific."

"What, the next time he asks us to _shoot_ somebody?" Liz asked irritably, having recovered from her fear. "Listen to me, sweetheart, the next person who gets to feel one of our bullets will be either your or Franky."

Callisto's smile disappeared, and she stepped back from the girls. She backed up and, keeping her eyes on the Thompsons the whole time, reached behind her on Franky's desk; in her hand was a black box topped with a red button. Liz's throat went dry when she saw the detonator in the witch's hand.

"I'm sorrrrry," Callisto said menacingly, "but did you just thrrreaten me? Because that would be a _verrrrry_ bad idea. Witches can't help but be destrrructive, you know?"

They had to approach this cautiously. Liz put her hands up. "Hey now, no need for that," she said soothingly. "How 'bout you tell us what you brought us in for? D-do you want us for a job?"

The witch continued to stare at them, but her eyes seemed unfocused. "Who said I wanted that? Maybe I just wanted to bask in the idea of having Shinigami's own parrrtnerrrs in my thrrrall." She laughed, and it sounded somewhat broken. "I hearrr he begged on his knees for the witches' aid." Her eyes lit up with a crazy, childish glee. "Do you think he'd do the same to get you two back? Oh how delicious! How prrrecious! To see such a powerrrful man _beg_ me for something!"

Her words angered Liz, but it was Patti who replied, saying with a furious tremble in her voice, "Is that all...all a _game_ to you? Some _sick_ plan to boost your own self-esteem? How crazy can you be?!"

"You don't underrrstand," Callisto argued, shaking her head. "You don't underrrstand how it _felt_ , when _Frrrancesco Scafidi_ , one of the most powerrrful men in this city, came to me _perrrsonally_ and asked forrr something only _I_ could give. Make him a vest, plant bombs in Death City, hide them frrrom Shinigami – surrre, why not? It was the least I could do, afterrr he'd placed such contrrrol in my hands!"

"It won't be there forever," Liz warned, dropping her hands. "My sister and I don't plan on hanging around here longer than we have to."

The witch cocked her head, as if considering that fact. "I suppose you'rrre rrright. Hmm." She shrugged. "Well, then I'll just have to press my advantage while I have it."

Then she placed her finger on the big red detonator button, and pressed it.

~~~

_Death City..._

Kid clutched his head as he rose, shakily, to his feet. His head was pounding, and his whole body just ached. Being a full-fledged shinigami, he had a high pain tolerance, but much of the pain he was feeling was not so much his own but Death City's – he could _feel_ the buildings as if they were his own broken bones; he could _feel_ the panic and pain and fear and sorrow coursing through his citizens' souls. Usually the variance of people's emotions kept him in balance, but the negative emotions were too widespread, too popular, for him to ignore. How had his father ever coped, when Madness had run rampant? His father had been much older and more experienced than he at the time, but still.

He dragged himself out of his reverie when he heard Maka groan. Bracing himself against the multitude of misery, he made his way to her. She seemed mostly all right as she used the wall to stand. Her clothes were covered in dust, and blood dripped from cuts on her knee and forehead. Her soul wavelength, though slightly disoriented, pulsed strong and steady.

"Are you alright, Maka?" Kid asked. She blinked at him, gathering her bearings, before nodding.

"I think so. You?"

When he nodded, her green eyes roamed around the room, grimacing at what she saw. There was a large hole in the middle of his office, and his desk had been flipped and thrown against the wall, along with the other furniture. Chunks of ceiling had also come down, but thankfully not on either of them.

"We should go," Kid determined. "Find out how bad the damage is."

Maka nodded, stepping over some debris and rubbing her back. "Right."

As soon as they crossed the threshold, the door of which had been blown off its hinges, they heard running footsteps. Soul was dashing down a flight of stairs, skipping the steps that had fallen in and practically leaping over the holes and debris in the floor.

"Kid!" he cried. Then, a second later, when his brain registered that his girlfriend was also here, "Maka! Are you alright?!"

"We're ok, Soul," Maka answered, her soul becoming much more at ease. "What about you, did you get hit? Where were you?"

"In the upstairs restroom," said Soul. "That wasn't hit, but I heard and felt it; I think only the downstairs was affected."

"They _better_ not have been able to plant bombs anywhere else," Kid muttered, frowning. Louder, he said, "We need to find out more. Was anywhere else affected? How could this happen? Where is everyone else? What is the extent of the damage? I should also say something to the city."

"Already on that, Shinigami-sama," Azusa said, appearing from another room on the ground floor.

Suddenly, it seemed his whole staff was around him, from the Death Scythes and the Council to the librarians and maintenance crew, bringing sobs and disbelief, but also productivity: Professor Stein and Marie were directing the injured to a clear area, promising that ambulances were on their way, while Sid was speaking on the phone with Nygus about the school, and many others were checking on family members and the outside of his office. If terrible, it still made Kid glad.

"MAKA! MY BABY GIRL, ARE YOU OK?!"

Maka face-palmed, Soul rolled his eyes, and Kid sighed as Spirit Albarn came barreling over to try and hug Maka. She side-stepped his attempt, resulting in him falling flat on his face. Against the floor, the Death Scythe mumbled, "Wi was so werbied bout woo!" Kid was fairly sure he meant, "I was so worried about you!"

"I'm fine, Papa," Maka told him. "And, clearly, so are you." Despite her brusque tone, Kid could see Maka was deeply relieved her father seemed unhurt.

"C'mon, senpai," Soul said, nudging Spirit with his foot. "Stay like that and Professor Stein might decide you need his medical expertise."

Spirit sprung up immediately.

Dusting himself off, Spirit became serious and turned to Kid. "It looks like the academy, and DCU were the worst hit," he said, "along with Pain Square. Rescue and medical teams are deployed, and the police are looking into the culprit."

"I already know who the culprit is," Kid said with a scowl. "Liz and Patti, through an undercover agent, revealed that Francesco Scafidi hired a witch to conceal bombs in the city. _My_ city. Both he and the witch need to be apprehended as soon as possible."

Spirit pursed his lips, then, hesitantly, said, "If a witch is involved, then should we contact Majo?"

Soul crossed his arms over his chest, looking displeased. "The politics of that would take way too long," he insisted. "The witch might leave Franky by the time the witches give us the OK."

"And Liz and Patti may be in danger now," Maka added. "Franky just detonated his leverage; what if he thinks they're no longer valuable?"

All these things were too much to process right now for Kid, with the stream of stressed and hurting soul wavelengths he was receiving. As much as he wanted to rush to Liz and Patti's location, both to finally see them again and reap the soul of the one who had ambushed Death City, he knew he needed to prioritize.

Turning to Azusa, he said, "Have the CIA tighten their net on Scafidi, but every other agency should be working on search and rescue, building clean-up, medical aid, et cetera. Once we're more settled and the people are calm, we'll go after Scafidi and his witch. We can contact the witches later."

"Yes, sir," Azusa answered, not even looking up from her phone as she followed his directions.

~~~

_Brooklyn..._

Liz stared at Callisto in shock, not believing that she'd actually pressed the button. Beside her, Patti started to hyperventilate.

"Wha – wha – what have you – _done?!"_ the younger Thompson cried, eyes wide. The witch cocked her head, as if confused by the question.

"I thought it was obvious," she replied. "Rrreally, I expected morrre from you two. Wherrre's the rrrage, the indignation?" Then her face brightened, and she snapped her fingers. "Oh! I get it! You'rrre not surrre if anything happened, arrre you? I understand." She giggled. "Well, herrre, I'll show you!"

She made a movement with her hand, and a swirling, colorful orb about twice the size of a dinner plate appeared before them. Then, images of Death City came into focus.

But it was not the Death City they were used to. These images showed Shibusen's iconic steps blown apart and littered with holes, rubble strewn all over the grounds. Then it moved to Death City University, whose campus was crowded with EMTs, police officers, firefighters, and bleeding, screaming students. Finally, Pain Square shimmered into sight, far too quiet as victims, huddling under blankets, whispered their stories to the police, some looking lost as they stared at broken glass and blackened wood that had been a store.

Liz's legs buckled, and she slid to her knees to stop herself from falling. She could feel Callisto's eyes on her, trying to pierce her through with cruel delight. Everything Liz had done, had been to prevent such destruction on her city, on Kid and her other friends, and yet, she had failed. It had all been for nothing.

As Liz succumbed to waves of despair, Patti let her fury consume her.

"YOU!" she bellowed at Callisto, who leaned forward eagerly. "You – you – how _DARE_ you? Shibusen is where we met our friends and learned to be Kid's partners! It's where a lot of innocent kids go to school! It's where Kid _works_. DCU is where Sis is learning how to help Kid, and it's where Soul and Tsubaki and Maka go! You've ruined it, ruined it, ruined it!"

Shaking with rage, Patti clenched her fists, and then launched herself at the witch, tackling her and causing them both to slide across Franky's desk and onto the floor.

"Your soul is mine," Patti hissed, hands wrapped around the witch's throat; Callisto seemed legitimately surprised, eyes wide and maybe a little frightened.

Before Patti could ask Liz to transform, however, the side door to Franky's office burst open. Franky looked at the scene before him with narrowed eyes.

"And just _what,"_ he growled, "is going on here?"


	8. Locked and Loaded

Callisto used the Thompsons' surprise at Franky's appearance to her advantage; bunching her knees up under Patti, the witch was able to throw the young Weapon off her, Patti's hands slipping from Callisto's throat. Patti flew into the overturned desk, jolting from the impact. Callisto then wasted no time in scrambling to her feet and latching onto Franky's arm.

"Oh, Frrranky-bearrr!" she wailed. "They - they - they _attacked_ me! I had to push the button, I _had_ to!"

"She's lying," Patti snarled, now standing. "And I don't care if you believe me or not; she _will_ pay for what she's done." She held out her hand, and after a moment of pulling herself together, Liz transformed and landed in her sister's open palm.

Franky seemed remarkably calm for having a bear-witch digging her claws into his arm and two angry Death Scythe-level Weapons facing him. "Now ladies," he said soothingly, "I'm sure we can come to a peaceful resolution. Calli, baby, I'm sure you had your reasons – " Callisto nodded so hard it looked like her head would fall off, not that either Liz or Patti would mind – "and girls, I understand why you might be angry. But let's not upset the applecart too much, y'know?"

 _He's not frightened enough, Sis,_ Patti said, slightly perturbed.

 _I know,_ Liz replied, narrowing her eyes. _He knows something we don't._

 _"_ Why shouldn't we?" Patti asked suspiciously. "Why shouldn't I just shoot you now and take down your whole operation?"

"Well, I've still got the vest on," Franky pointed out. Then he reached into the shirt pocket of his white dress shirt and produced another of the black detonators Liz and Patti had so feared. "And I've still got this."

Liz stared at it until she felt her eyes start to burn from not blinking. Patti voiced both of their thoughts with a deadpan, "You have got to be kidding me."

"'fraid not, darling," replied Franky. "Did you think I'd be stupid enough to not to have some sort of back-up if I used up my leverage? I know you two were just waiting for an opportunity to leave." Franky laughed. "But now you won't! Will you?"

Patti's emotions were a roiling, seething mess of grief and rage. But fear was there, too — fear of what would happen, who else would get hurt, if she gave in to her desire to attack. She wasn't sure if it was her own instincts holding her back, or her sister's slightly calmer influence on her soul, but she nevertheless slightly lowered Liz's Weapon form, ceding defeat, at least for now.

"You're a clever bastard," she told Franky, voice cold, "but still a bastard. You'll get what's coming to you."

Franky shrugged. "Maybe," he answered. "But not now. Not today."

He nodded to a couple of his boys, who approached Patti cautiously before grabbing hold of her. She glared at one so fiercely he wet his pants, but still she allowed them to drag her away, sister in hand and knowledge of the detonator in Franky's possession at the forefront of her mind.

~~~

_Death City..._

" _Who said I wanted that? Maybe I just wanted to bask in the idea of having Shinigami's own parrrtnerrrs in my thrrrall." A low, throaty laugh. "I hearrr he begged on his knees for the witches' aid. Do you think he'd do the same to get you two back? Oh how delicious! How prrrecious! To see such a powerrrful man **beg** me for something!"_

_Patti's voice, "Is that all...all a **game** to you? Some sick plan to boost your own self-esteem? How crazy can you be?!"_

_"You don't underrrstand," Callisto replied. "You don't underrrstand how it **felt** , when **Frrrancesco Scafidi,** one of the most powerrrful men in this city, came to me **perrrsonally** and asked forrr something only **I** could give. Make him a vest, plant bombs in Death City, hide them frrrom Shinigami – surrre, why not? It was the least I could do, afterrr he'd placed such contrrrol in my hands!"_

_"It won't be there forever," Liz, this time. "My sister and I don't plan on hanging around here longer than we have to."_

_"I suppose you'rrre rrright. Hmm." There was a slight pause. "Well, then I'll just have to press my advantage while I have it."_

Kid turned off the recording, which had been obtained by the bugs Roy and Garth had managed to plant in Francesco Scafidi's office.

"So you see," the shinigami began, clasping his hands together in front of him, "that the attack on Death City was orchestrated by a witch in clear violation of the treaty."

It was a few days after the explosions, and after putting everyone in charge of various departments — rescue, crowd control, PR, medical treatment, etc. (except his own specialty, laying the souls of the dead to rest) — Kid had managed to find time enough to get a meeting with a witch representative to inform the witches of the attack. He was hoping they would give Shibusen leave to deal with this Callisto themselves.

The representative, a young-looking girl with red eyes and curly blond hair done up in a ponytail, was named Sherwood von Phoenix. Though she seemed to Kid to resemble a snake more, her file indicated she was affiliated with pandas. In fact, her three panda familiars were waiting outside Kid's office.

Sherwood set down the tea she'd been offered and had been drinking as the recording played. "I don't know, Shinigami-san," she began in a cool, high-pitched voice, "if that _is_ what I see."

Kid felt something shift in the air between them. "I'm sorry?"

"It's just that," she mused, "this doesn't seem to be enough evidence. We _see_ nothing, just voices, and, if I may be bold enough — well, how are we to be expected to trust this wholeheartedly? Our relations are better, Shinigami-san, but not _that_ good. What if all this is just a coward's excuse to not renew the treaty?"

Kid's eyes narrowed and his knuckles went white as he clenched his clasped hands tighter together. "You are not suggesting," he responded tersely, "that we ourselves arranged such a _devastating_ attack on our own people as an _excuse?_ "

"No, no, of course not," Sherwood responded quickly, perhaps realizing she had gone too far. "I only meant the witch's council would like more evidence, that _we_ collect, so we know it won't be so biased." She leaned forward, as if relating a secret. "Don't think we don't know about your run-away partners, Shinigami-san. A shame, really, if I understand it correctly — are condolences in order? But I'm afraid their involvement with the witch in question may be clouding your judgement. Thus, we cannot sanction a raid on her."

"So when will you start _your_ investigation? Kid demanded.

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. My department isn't scheduled to report in or another month, and then it might take some time to make it through the chain. And if you know anything about witch bureaucracy..."

"So, first you insult me by sending someone of inferior rank," Kid began irritably, ignoring Sherwood's scowl at the slight, "then dismiss my evidence as untrustworthy, _accuse_ me of attacking my own people and possessing a bias, and then tell me you won't look into this... _declaration of war_ for another few months!? What kind of allies _are_ you?"

Sherwood's eyes flashed as she stood up. Kid stayed seated. "The friendly kind," she replied in a rather unfriendly voice. "And if you wish us to remain so, you will not send anyone to confront that witch. We insist your people stay out of it."

The two entered into a staring contest for a while. Finally, still holding the witch's gaze, Kid said, "I think it's best if you leave, von Phoenix-san."

"I think the same, Shinigami-san," Sherwood responded. Her small heels clicked as she crossed the floor, opened the door, and let it close softly behind her.

Once he was sure she was gone, Kid let his head drop into his hands and breathed in deeply, trying to calm himself. The city's pain was still there – it would be a while before things were back to normal – but most times it was manageable. A couple times he'd had to stop mid-sentence and catch his breath, like the time some of the worst injuries succumbed to their wounds and the families' grief was near overwhelming.

But now he was in control, and he needed to think. How to legitimately go after the witch? Every hour there was some letter asking what was being done to apprehend the bomber; he couldn't very well say the witches hadn't seen eye to eye with him without starting rumors and violence. Also, how to rescue Liz and Patti? There'd been no contact from them since Roy and Garth returned, and who knew what state they were in if the leverage against them had been used.

Suddenly an idea came to him. He picked up the phone and quickly dialed one of the few numbers he knew by heart.

_"Hello?"_

"Soul? I need to see you and Black*Star right away. And bring your partners."


	9. Jam Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where the Trigger Warnings come into play. So:
> 
> WARNING: mentions of suicidal thoughts and dialogue, and mentions of planning a mass shooting.

Liz looked up at the sound of a wooden door scraping against stone.

By now it had become familiar, even a way to tell time. For four days she and Patti had been down in Franky's dungeon — the man had a legitimate _dungeon_ in his basement, barred cell doors and all — and the only contact with his gang was when someone brought them food. At least they were getting three meals a day.

The food deliverer was different every time, and now was no exception, but Liz was still surprised to see to see Jason carrying the tray. He walked over to them stiffly, and refused to look them in the eye when he set down the food; it looked like ham and cheese sandwiches and a couple juice boxes. Though her stomach rumbled, Liz ignored the food for now and tried to reach Jason through the bars.

"Jason," she began in a soft voice.

Jason's jaw clenched at the sound of his name, and his movements seemed almost robotic as he began to walk away from them.

Liz sighed. "C'mon, Jason," she called to his retreating form. "Look, I know you're probably not supposed to talk to us, but we really do need to talk!" No answer but the sound of his shoes on the floor. "Jason, please! For – for _Wilson's_ sake, if not ours!"

That stopped Jason in his tracks. "Don't you dare," he hissed, still without turning around. "Traitors don't get to say my brother's name!"

"I'm really tired of being called that," Liz replied. "Look, tell me, who have we betrayed? Not our friends, not our home, not _you_ , personally. Our beef is with Franky – who we were never loyal to in the first place."

"You lied to me," Jason shot back. "You let me think you were on my side! That we were in this together!"

"I'm sorry, Jason, at least for not telling you the whole truth," she said, tone remorseful. She hadn't wanted to hurt Jason, who had seemed truly happy to see Patti and her again. "But we aren't on the same side, not really, not if you're with Franky."

"Well, where else was I supposed to go? Huh, Liz?" Jason finally turned around, to give her a hateful glare. "Do you know, after you girls skipped town, that Franky's gang came after me 'cuz they had seen us together? And when they finally decided I was clean, and offered me a spot — well, hell, what else was I gonna do with my life?"

"It's not the life Wilson would have wanted for you," Liz insisted in a firm yet gentle tone.

"Yeah?" Jason asked angrily, coming closer to the door that separated them. "And how the hell would _you_ know what _my_ brother wanted for me? You never even knew him!"

Though his tone was harsh, Liz could see the pain in his eyes. It had been almost ten years since his brother's death, but clearly it still hurt him. He was right though; the only image Liz had of Wilson Atlee was his prone form laid out on the cold New York City pavement, shaggy blond hair nearly covering the dark blue eyes that stared unseeing up at the night sky. What she knew of his personality was as bad as she and Patti had been back in the day, with Wilson's catchphrase — "'Sons Atlee, at your service!" — being well known (well feared) on the streets. But still, she had the perfect answer to Jason's question.

She looked deep into his eyes, and said, "Because I know what I want for Patti. And it wouldn't be this."

Behind her, Patti made a small sound, and for a moment, Liz wondered if her sister was remembering the same thing she was.

_Years ago, on a dark winter's night — thankfully with no snow — Liz and Patti rounded an alley and collapsed against the wall, breathing hard; their night's haul clattered on the ground. Patti was laughing hysterically, but Liz was not in the mood. The drug dealer they'd been trying to rob, one last score for the night, had been smarter than he looked, and he had a real gun on him. The sisters had been able to escape, even dodge every bullet (being able to transform into transparent light came in handy at times like then), but it had scared Liz. She never wanted to feel that kind of fear again._

_"Patti," she said quietly. Her sister kept laughing "Patti!"_

_Finally Patti snapped out of it. "Huh? Yeah, sis?"_

_Liz took a deep breath before starting, "Patti, that was really close back there. **Too** close. I don't want to have the odds of losing you be so high."_

_Patti cocked her head. "But sis, we made it out alright! We did great!"_

_"Yeah, I know, but Patti — Patti, we...we need a plan. In case, in case you lose me —" Liz got cut off when Patti put a hand over her mouth. Liz, surprised, was startled to see the look of dead seriousness in her little sister's eyes._

_Slowly, Patti took her hand off Liz's mouth._

_"I already know what I'm going to do if that happens," Patti told her in a quiet voice._

_"What? You do?"_

_Patti nodded. Then she made a little gun with her thumb and forefinger. "If I ever lose you, sis, then I'll get a **real** gun, and I'll shoot up the whole city" — Patti waved her hand around to demonstrate — "and then I'd take that real gun, and go like **this** —" she then put her finger to her head, and mimed pulling the trigger._

_"Patti, what the hell!" Liz, horrified, grabbed her sister's finger, as if it was the real gun she was talking about. "How could you ever say that to me! How could you ever **think** that! B-bad! That's— that's — never ever do that! I forbid you!"_

_"If I was gonna do it, then you wouldn't be here to forbid me, sis," Patti pointed out, seeming nonplussed by her sister's reaction._

_Liz shook her head. "I don't care! Whether I'm alive or not, you will never, ever hurt yourself like that! I'll forbid you from the grave, got it?!"_

_Patti still tried arguing her case. "But sis, what would be the point of staying in this world without you? Especially if it was the world that took you from me?"_

_"Oh, Patti," Liz cried, throwing her arms around the younger girl, fury giving way to sadness and the urge to comfort her sister. "Oh, Patti, I hear you, I understand why you'd think that, but please, please, don't ever do that. I love you, okay? If you can't think of any other reason not to do that, then just remember that **I love you** and don't want you to do that. Okay?"_

_There was a long pause before Patti answered. "Okay, sis."_

Liz drew herself out of the past to look at Jason, who was searching her face, as if looking for dishonesty or a trick. He looked down for a while, but when he raised his head again, his eyes held a determined light in them.

"Even if I did leave this life, leave Franky's gang," he said slowly, "where would I go? What would I do?"

"You could come with us," piped Patti, moving from the corner of the cell to the door. "Kid is gonna be _reeealllyyy_ upset with everyone in Franky's gang, but if we put in a good word for you, I'm sure he'll be alright with that."

Jason blinked. "Go with you...to Death City? Why? I mean, what would I do there? I'm not a frea— I'm not like you guys."

Liz let the almost-insult pass her by. "So are a lot of the residents, more than you might think," she replied. "Not all our operations are about fighting; we run like a normal city. You'll be able to find something. And we'll help you."

Jason stepped back from the cell door, and stood there thinking for a long time. Finally, he sighed. "What do you need me to do? Bust you out?"

A surge of hope and relief filled Liz, and she exchanged smiles with Patti. She turned back to Jason and said, "No, not yet; if we upset Franky, he'll take it out on Death City. What we need from you, is to get the detonator from Franky's pocket. Once his power is gone, we can do what we like to him."

"O..okay," Jason replied, looking a little worried. But then he nodded and turned, ready to head down the hall and complete his mission. Then he paused, and looked back at Liz, face red. "Y-you know, Liz, t-there's something I've always wanted to tell you."

Liz blinked, startled. "Um, okay? You can't...tell me later?"

Jason shook his head, and his blush deepened. "I-I may not have the courage to do it later. But, Liz, I — you're beautiful. A-and I know you never liked that word 'cuz you always thought beauty on the streets meant being like your whore of a mother, but — I've always thought that. You're beautiful."

And before Liz could respond, he turned on his heel and ran down the hall.

After a while, the stunned silence was broken by Patti's giggling. "Aww, sis, someone's got a crush on you ~!"

"Oh, shut it," Liz responded, her own face red. "We've got more important things to worry about now."

Patti gave one last giggle. "Okay, sis."

~~~

_Kid's office, Death City..._

"...so your big plan is to go over to Brooklyn and basically beat the snot out of Franky Scafidi, which is something you could do entirely _on your own_ , but you need _us_ there as a loophole in not upsetting the witches," clarified Soul as he looked at Kid.

Kid nodded in response. "Yes, that sums it up, if in a somewhat crude manner."

Tsubaki, standing between her meister and Maka, frowned. "I understand that you need to go after the witch, or at least say you did, so the witches can't accuse you of sending one of your people after her," she began, "but how do we fit in?"

"It's a three part mission, technically," Kid answered. "Someone to go after the witch, someone to go after Franky, and someone to find Liz and Patti."

Black*Star pounded a fist into his other hand. "Sounds good to me! Ready to show those punks what happens when you mess with a god's city, Tsubaki?"

"Hold on, hold on," Maka interjected, waving her hands. "I want to help Liz and Patti as much as you do, but is it really necessary to send out a _Death Scythe,_ his meister, and a Weapon and meister who are on the same level, along with a _full-fledged_ shinigami? Shouldn't this be given to some EAT teams, or something?"

Kid pursed his lips. "You have a point," he conceded, "but no EAT team so far has quite the qualifications we did when we were their age, Maka. And with a situation this precarious, I prefer to leave it the experts."

Soul grinned, his shark teeth prominently displayed. "Aw, shut up, Kid," he said with a chuckle. "You just want your friends to help come rescue our other friends."

Kid crossed his arms. "Hmm. And what's wrong with that?"

Around him, his friends broke into smiles – Soul kept his punk grin; Black*Star's had a hint of pugnacious glee at the thought of battling; Tsubaki seemed just genuinely happy that Kid wanted them with him; and Maka's eyes glinted with determination.

"Nothing at all, Kid," Soul answered. "Nothing at all."

"Alright," Kid said. "Then let's go."


	10. Finger on the Trigger

The wind stung Kid's face as he sailed through the night sky. He was riding Beelzebub (Soul had teased him about being a man who still played with a skateboard, but why fix what wasn't broken?) while Maka and the rest rode on Soul. Black*Star had wanted to use his own flying technique, which he had improved greatly over the years, but Kid had wanted to be there as soon as possible. Thus, Maka flew on Soul's Scythe form with Black*Star behind her and Tsubaki in her Weapon form for easier carrying.

It was lucky for Kid that Beelzebub knew how to get to Brooklyn, because his master found his mind rather preoccupied. Liz and Patti were at the forefront, of course, as Kid worried for their safety while simultaneously assuring himself that they were plenty capable of defending themselves. Of course, they didn't know that Maka and a team from Border Patrol had gone through Death City with a fine-toothed comb and found more bomb caches, and they were 99.99% sure there were no more. So while that was of course wonderful for Death City, Kid worried that Liz and Patti wouldn't fight back if they thought Franky still had power over them.

 _You'll find them soon,_ Kid told himself. _And you can tell them then, and all will be well._

Another thought weighing heavy on his mind was the way the witches had responded to his request. Did they really distrust him that much? Though he was loathe to even think about renewing hostilities with them, he also wasn't sure he should sign the treaty for another year before dealing with their obvious trust issues. Today actually would have been the day, but Kid had asked for a postponement until Death City had recovered more, and thankfully they had understood _that._

Kid was brought out his ponderings by Maka. In a concerned voice, she asked, "You okay, Kid? You're quiet."

"Of course," he answered after a minute. "Just...just thinking."

Maka seemed like she was going to say more, but then Black*Star pointed and exclaimed, "New York ho! Let's go! Scafidi, your soul is mine!"

 _"Hey, that's our line!"_ Soul cried indignantly. _"How come **you** get to go after that scumbag?_ _"_

"Cuz I called him first, duh," Black*Star replied.

 _"As long he gets taken care of, that's what matters. Right, Kid?"_ chimed Tsubaki.

Kid nodded. "That's right, Tsubaki. I would like to get him myself, but I have to deal with the witch on my own."

They continued flying for a little while longer, until they were over Brooklyn, before landing. Thanks to the CIA, and Roy and Garth's, operations, Kid knew exactly where Franky's base was.

To be honest, it wouldn't have been that hard to find, as it was a huge white mansion, shaped like a tiered cake, with two giant Italian flag banners hanging from the gutters. Surely Franky wasn't too stupid to have all of his underworld dealings right there? But then again, he'd been stupid enough to blackmail Death's own Weapons, and bomb Death City.

The five of them lingered on the sidewalk across the street from the house, hiding in the shadows provided by the street lamps and Franky's search lights. There were a few guards on the front step, and at the other entrances, Kid assumed.

They wouldn't be a problem.

"So how we getting in, Kid?" Black*Star asked, Tsubaki's Smoke Bomb form in his hand. Kid didn't answer him, instead walking across the street and straight up to the guards. It took them both a minute to realize he was there, and when they did, they both jerked back in surprise.

"W-what the hell, punk?" one of them asked, glaring as he stepped closer to Kid. "What dya think you're doing here?!" The other one pulled out a knife and leveled it at him threateningly.

Kid merely looked at them. Normally, his calm demeanor in battle was enough to at least confound enemies, but this time his gaze was a little different. Since becoming a full Shinigami, he had discovered something that Patti had dubbed "Death Glare Beams," or the ability to make grown men whimper on the ground with just a look. Such an effect was probably what had led his father to change his appearance and hide behind a mask, so he wouldn't frighten his new students. Kid didn't wear a mask yet — most likely he wouldn't have to for a few years, since he was still young, and almost everyone close to him was used to his soul, even fully grown.

But these men were not used to his soul, and he was deliberately turning this deadly gaze directly on them. The armed one dropped his knife immediately, and they both staggered back, looks of horror on their faces.

"Wh-wh-what are you?!" one of them cried, his voice shrill. Kid cocked his head and stared at him.

"Death," he answered simply. They began to whimper. "Now," he said, "you're going to do a few things. One, you're going to let me and my friends in. Two, you're going to keep quiet about it. And three" — he leaned in closer, so he was right in their faces — "you're going to tell me where the hell is Francesco Scafidi?"

"O-o-o-ok-kay," one of them answered shakily. "He — he's probably in his study! Third door on th-the right!"

Kid stepped back to let him scramble up and unlock the door; his companion just stayed where he was, staring out into the dark. Suddenly he gasped, and his eyes widened even more; Kid turned, somewhat concerned, but it was just his friends.

"Damn, Kid, that was one heck of an intimidation!" Black*Star complimented Kid. "I like this side of you, it's pretty cool!"

"Don't get used to it," Kid replied as they stepped into the foyer of the mansion. A thick red carpet led up the stairs, which was a curving, sprawling structure that wrapped around. The rest of the floor was black and white marble. "It's only for really serious missions."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Black*Star looked around. "So the fireworks guy is that way?" He pointed in the direction the man outside indicated, while eyeing the stairs.

"Should be, yes."

The assassin nodded thoughtfully. "Okay. C'mon, Tsubaki. Ninja Sword, let's go."

_"Right."_

Black*Star gave the rest of them a wink and went up the stairs. Kid frowned and thought about calling him back, but decided he probably knew what he was doing — or at least, Tsubaki did. He had things of his own to do.

"Let's go ourselves," Kid said to Maka, who nodded. They walked in the right of the stairway, counting the doors (it was remarkably devoid of people, though Kid could sense a large concentration of souls in one of the upstairs rooms). When they got to the third one, they stopped and, without any further ado, kicked down the door.

They found was a rather posh office, with two people at the desk, locked in a passionate embrace, mouths pressed against each other. At the noise of door being broken, they broke apart, looking startled. The man stood up out of his chair and glared at them.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" the man cried.

"Looking for Francesco Scafidi," Kid responded calmly. "That is who _you_ are, yes?"

Franky sneered at him. "And what if I am?"

Suddenly the woman by Franky's side — the witch, Kid realized with a start — gasped, putting both hands up to her mouth. _"Frrranky,"_ she breathed, "do you have any idea who this _is?_ It's him! Shinigami-san! Oh, of all the things, I neverrr would have _expected_ – _!"_

Kid sent a withering look her way. "I'll be dealing with you in a moment," he said tersely. Glancing back at Franky, he demanded, "Tell me, where are Liz and Patti Thompson?"

Franky tried to seem brave. "Now, hold on," he began. "I don't see –"

His protest was cut short by the appearance of a blade at his throat – and not just any blade, but Tsubaki in her Ninja Sword form. Black*Star, as silent and smooth as an assassin should be, had dropped from the ceiling to land on the back of Franky's chair.

"A god just asked you a question," Black*Star hissed in a menacing voice. "And since I _know_ you're nowhere near my level — and because you _attacked my city_ — you don't have the right to refuse him."

"Th-th-they're in the b-b-basement!" Franky squeaked out. He then looked over at the witch. "B-b-babycakes? Little h-h-help here?"

"Oh, darrrling, of courrrse!" the witch cried. She sent a spell in their direction. Black*Star jumped away from Franky to dodge, but it wasn't aimed at him; instead, energy enveloped Franky in what seemed to be a white cloud, and then he was gone.

Kid cursed while Black*Star started, looking bewildered.

"Spatial magic," Maka realized after a second. "She's sent him somewhere else."

Black*Star's look of confusion turned to one of anger as he looked at the witch. "Why, I oughta..."

"Black*Star." Kid's voice pulled the ninja up short, after which he sent Kid a questioning look.

"You go find out where Franky is now and deal with him. Maka, head to the basement and free the girls." Kid nodded at the witch, who stood staring at him, a look of what might have been awe on her face. "I'll handle her."

Maka and Black*Star shared a look, but finally Maka said, "Alright, Kid. Be careful."

 _"Go get 'er, tiger,"_ Soul added as his meister sprinted out the door they had just come through. Black*Star had chosen to jump back up to the rafters, opting for the path he had found.

That left just Kid and the witch.

"It's just you and me now, Witch Callisto," Kid said to her, adopting a battle stance.

"My, my, Shinigami-san," Callisto purred, "what a pleasant surrrprrrise! I am _honorrred_ that you came all the way out herrre forrr me."

"I certainly wasn't planning on it," Kid replied. "But your fellow witches refused to let me send anyone after you. In fact, they seemed reluctant to investigate you at all."

"Oh?" Callisto cocked her head to the side, seeming genuinely surprised. Then her eyes widened, and a smirk appeared on her face. "Oh, I see. Did you, by any chance, Shinigami-san, encounterrr a witch named Sherrrwood von Phoenix?"

Kid blinked, startled. By this time Kid had moved slightly closer, but still far enough away that the witch couldn't attack him too easily. "How would you know about that?" he asked warily. Had she put cameras or recorders in, or in addition to, her bombs?

"It's the only thing that makes sense," Callisto answered. "I know therrre is little love lost between me and the Witches' Council. Therrre is only one witch in a position of powerrr who carrres enough about me to rrrisk yourrr wrrrath, Shinigami-san, and that is my youngerrr cousin, Sherrrwood."

Kid's eyes widened in shock as he took in her words. Then they narrowed as he glared at her. "I see. So that's what is was." Though he was pleased the treatment he had received at Sherwood's hands was not indicative of how all the witches felt about Death City's plight, he would have to help the witches deal with the insubordination in their ranks later.

"Oh, please don't be angrrry, Shinigmai-san," Callisto asked in a half playful, half pleading tone. "My cousin was only doing herrr familial duty. Surrrely you underrrstand that?"

"I've had enough talk," Kid answered, and rushed towards her, palm outstretched. Callisto jumped and began to flip over him. Kid brought his leg up to catch her but missed; his heel cracked the floor while the witch landed in a crouched position, a grin on her face.

"Such powerrr," Callisto observed. "I'm going to have fun playing with you." She straightened up, then put her fingers together in a square and began chanting, "Grrrizzly, Polarrr, Panda Bearrr!"

A beam of energy shot out of her hands, wide enough that Kid barely dodged it stepping to the side. It blasted a hole in the wall, revealing several of Franky's men, looks of horror and confusion on their faces. They quickly ran out of the room, stumbling over themselves to get through the door first. Kid pursed his lips as he watched them; though these men were scumbags, he still had a duty to protect them from the witch.

He focused on all his attention back on Callisto. "You've got some power yourself," he told her. "But no power in the world is strong enough to defeat Death."

With that he rushed forward.


	11. Jail Break

Patti looked up at the ceiling, her face one of puzzlement.

"Hey Sis," she said, causing Liz to come out of her thoughts and look over, "it sure does sound loud up there, doesn't it? I wonder what's going on?"

Liz bit her lip, worried. "I hope they haven't caught Jason," she responded.

"Hey! Liz! Patti! Are you here?"

The Thompsons looked at each other in shock at the familiar voice, eyes wide. As one they rushed over to the bars and peered out. Sure enough, walking along the hall and looking into the other cells, was Maka Albarn, her trusty Scythe in hand.

Liz kept blinking, as if each time she opened her eyes again her friend would have disappeared. Patti, taking the initiative, called out, "Hey, Maka! Soul! We're here!"

At the sound of her voice, Maka rushed over, breaking out into a smile when she saw them. "Patti! Liz! I'm so glad I found you! Are you alright?" As she spoke, she let go of Soul, who transformed in a blaze of light; when he was finished, he flashed them a big smile.

"Long time no see," he joked.

Liz laughed then, not so much at the joke but out of relief that her friends were here. "I guess so," she answered. Then the joviality left her. "But what are you guys doing here? Franky must know you're here, right? So unless Jason got the detonator, then Death City is still – !"

"Relax," Soul said soothingly. "We've taken care of all that."

"You have?" Patti responded, sounding relieved. "You took care of everything?"

"I used my Soul Perception," Maka explained, "and some Bomb Weapons helped, too. The witch's Soul Protect was stronger than a lot I've seen, but we all know it doesn't work on objects as well, especially if the witch is far away."

"So...you're sure the city is safe?" Liz clarified. Maka and Soul nodded.

"We're sure," Maka affirmed.

Liz hesitated still, so Patti put a hand on her sister's arm. "C'mon, Sis," Patti said softly. "We're not helping anyone by staying here, not _really_ , and we've got Jason and Maka and Soul and everyone here, ready to help.

Liz nodded slowly. "Okay. Yeah, you're right, Patti." She smiled and ruffled Patti's hair. "I'm so lucky to have you, little sister." She looked at Maka and Soul. "Alright then, get us out of here!"

"With pleasure," Soul replied. He morphed just his arm, and, when Liz and Patti had backed up enough, sliced through the bars. The girls pushed the broken bits of metal away from the cell, and stepped out.

Immediately Maka pulled them into a tight hug, surprising them. "I'm so glad you're alright!" the Scythe meister cried, squeezing tightly once before letting go.

"Yeah, us too," Liz replied, touched by Maka's concern.

Soul gave them both a friendly clap on the back before transforming back into a Scythe.

"Come on," Maka said as she caught him, smiling. "Kid's waiting for you."

That was all they needed to hear. Liz held out her hand, and it was Patti's turn to transform, landing solidly in her sister's palm. Then the two meisters started running down the hall, out of the dungeon and toward the light.

~~~

"Damn, where is he?"

Black*Star looked around the hallway he had just dropped down into from the ceiling, scowling as he saw that this, too, was empty; there was no sign of Scafidi, or anyone or that matter.

The assassin let an an angry grunt. "How many hallways does this place have?"

 _"It's alright, Black*Star,"_ Tsubaki soothed, clutched in Black*Star's hand in her Ninja sword mode. _"We'll find him."_

Just then they both heard a noise farther off. Black*Star tensed, and, gripping Tsubaki tightly, advanced on the sound. Before they reached the location, a figure came running out at them. Acting on instinct, Black*Star struck out and hit the figure in the chest, eliciting a painful cry, before the figure dropped to the ground. Black*Star immediately leveled the tip of Tsubaki's blade at the person's throat.

"You. Tell me where Scafidi is," Black*Star ordered. The person, a young, blond-haired man, looked up at the meister with wide, terror-filled blue eyes.

"I - I- I don't know!" he stammered. "I - I mean, I h-have an idea, and w-was going to go see if he was there —"

 _"Where's 'there'?_ " Tsubaki asked, in only a slightly less aggressive tone than her partner.

The man swallowed. "Th - there's a level below the basement. A - a bunker, a safe room, for Franky. M- mostly it's supposed to be in case like, cops come, or something, but I thought..." he trailed off, eyeing Tsubaki's blade nervously. "I thought I might try to reach him there."

"Why? So you can help him escape? Like I'd let that happen!" Black*Star exclaimed.

"N-no! No, that's not it!" The man tried sitting up, but decided not to when Black*Star pressed the tip of the blade nearer to the man's throat. "No, I — w-wait a minute, are you guys are from Shibusen? I mean, of course, you must be, 'cause that sword just talked. Unless I'm going crazy." He laughed, and it did sound slightly hysterical. "Maybe I am!"

Black*Star frowned, not sure how to proceed with the man's change of attitude. He looked at Tsubaki, but she was silent, just as perplexed. Finally, Black*Star said, "Well, so what if we are?"

"Then this is great," the man replied. "My name is Jason Atlee, and I wanna help you guys take down Franky."

~~~

Kid was getting tired of this game.

The fight between the Witch Callisto and himself was getting nowhere, at least on his end. Mostly, it consisted of one of them dodging the other's attack, which resulted in a lot of energy blasts firing into walls. Kid, being the good guy that he was, also used his Absorb and Death Block techniques, hoping to minimize the damage so no one else, or too much property, got hurt; mostly for the people's and buildings' own sake, but also to save Kid himself and his people tons of extra work (reconstruction of cities and towns all around the world took up a large part of the Death City budget).

But if he kept being on the defensive as he had been, then he would never beat her. It was time to really dig into his repertoire of Shinigami attacks.

Kid took in a deep breath, then bellowed "KATSU!"; with a blinding light, a bolt of energy shot from Kid's body, towards the witch. She tried to put up a magical barrier, but she was too late, and the half-formed spell shattered under the power of Kid's Katsu. With a shriek, Callisto crashed into the far wall, landing in a hole of her own making. They had long since moved out of Franky's office, as that had quickly become unstable and full of holes.

Kid walked towards the witch. "Are you finished yet, Witch?"

Callisto shook her head to clear it, then spat out some blood. "My, my Shinigami-sann," she croaked, "you'rrre beginning to...play naughty." She gave a weak chuckle. "I...I like it."

Kid pursed his lips, then raised his arm, preparing another energy blast. But when Callisto began chuckling again, he paused. The whole fight, she had wore a delighted smile on her face, as if battling him was all she'd ever wanted in life. The grin had been pretty crazy then, but now, her smile was positively deranged. As Kid watched, the witch's arms and legs began to stretch, and then pump up; her nails grew into long black claws, and dark fur began to sprout from all over her body.

"Grrrizzly, Polarrr, Panda Bearrr," Callisto began to chant. "Grrrizzly, Polarrr, Panda Bearrr — Urrrsa Minorrr Mode!"

A purple light enveloped her, and Kid shielded his eyes from the brightness of it. When the light subsided, what was in Callisto's place was a being five times her size, a strange half-bear creature with wide, wild eyes, gleaming sharp claws, and bright, large white fangs.

"Sorrrrryyyy, Shinigami-saaaannn," the witch snarled, saliva dripping off her fangs. "But III'mmm not fiiinnnshed plaaaying yet." She punctuated her statement with a loud roar.

Kid sighed, and prepared himself to fight some more.


	12. Fire the Cannons

Franky Scafidi paced back and forth across the floor in his safe bunker, hands linked behind his back, clearly worried. Despite the fact that this bunker, built to survive a nuclear blast among other things was supposed to be impenetrable, Franky couldn't help but imagine that shinigami kid or his friends bursting in here as easily as kicking a wooden door down. His right hand man, Antonio, was sitting on the love seat placed in the bunker — it was, after all, completely furnished, with plush red carpet, a fully-stocked bar, pool and card tables, and armchairs, in addition to the love seat — following his boss with big eyes, an arm slung across the back of the sofa.

"Relax, Frank," said Antonio. "You're driving yourself — and me — crazy."

"I can't help it," Franky muttered in response. "I'm just...I'm just...it was _Death himself_ that came looking for me, Tony! Death himself!"

Antonio sighed, thinking of a way to calm his best friend. "Well, you know, I _did_ tell you that blackmailing the Devils was going to be a mistake." He crossed his arms, slightly irritated. "But ever since that Callisto entered the picture, it was like I had nothin' good to offer ya. What was up with that, man? I've been your biggest supporter since we were kids!"

"I know, I know!" Franky snapped, glaring at Antonio before sighing himself. "That thing with Callisto...I mean...well, she's a witch. Maybe she put a spell on me."

Antonio's anger faded away, and he grinned, a bit wickedly. "Love potion, eh? Figures that'd be your luck!"

"Yeah, well – "

"AAAAAAAHHHHHAAAA!"

Franky, his response interrupted by the sudden scream, jumped, startled, as did Antonio. They both stared at the sealed metal door, where the scream had come from, and where suddenly a human imprint, accompanied by a loud _BANG!,_ appeared. Franky began sweat dropping, even more so when he heard voices on the other side,

"You didn't have to do that, you know...All you've done is hurt yourself." That was a woman's voice.

"I...I have the code, don't you remember me telling you that?" A different voice, a young man's, and familiar. Franky frowned; could it be one of his gang? His lip curled at the thought of a traitor in his ranks.

"Why are you guys talking about? Of course I had to do that!" So there were at least three people out there, two men and a woman. And one of them, to Franky's dismay, was the one who'd literally gotten the drop on him and held a blade to his throat in his office.

"I'm a star!" The swordsman continued. "I have to make a dynamic entrance! I was pretty low-key and menacing in the office, so I really had to bring it for this entrance!"

The woman sighed. "But you haven't even entered yet..."

There was silence for a moment, and then the creaks and pops of the bunker door opening could be heard. Franky and Antonio swore, and both drew their guns, with Antonio moving in front of Franky. When the door opened enough for a person to slip through, the two gangsters began firing, one round after another.

"Tsubaki, Smoke Bomb mode."

_"Right."_

Suddenly smoke filled the room, and Franky stumbled backwards; he wanted to continue shooting, but held back for fear of hitting Tony. He looked around wildly, trying to see, when he heard a noise to his left. He turned his head —

And the blue-haired swordsman from before appeared in front of him, sword held at nose-level, a dark look in his eye. Franky tried to cry out, but managed only a small squeak before the swordsman cut him down with a single slash.

"Francesco Scafidi," the swordsman said in a cold voice, glaring down at him, "your soul is mine."

~~~

"KATSU!"

Kid aimed his next attack right at Callisto, who, unfortunately since her upgrade, was not only more agile but also more resistant to his attacks — where before a strong blast from Kid would send her into a wall, the witch now seemingly had no problem taking his attacks head-on. She dodged the one Katsu he'd just released, but the next one caught her in the stomach; her massive body shuddered, and her face was twisted in pain, but then the blast flowed right through her and into the wall behind her. She raised her head slowly to meet Kid's annoyed look, and let out a roar-like laugh.

"Close, but no cigarrrrr, Shinigami-san," she growled at him. Kid frowned, but then chuckled lightly.

"I suppose I should commend you, Callisto," he told her. "You've certainly managed to stave off death for yourself rather well."

"You have my grrrratidue," the witch answered, sounding genuinely pleased. She reared her head back and opened her mouth. Screaming, "Urrrrsa Minorrr Grrrizzly Cannon!" she shot out a beam of intense purple light at Kid.

Kid summoned a Death Block to protect himself; though it was sufficient in shielding him, the shinigami was surprised by the amount of pressure the witch's attack was exerting on the energy shield. Eventually the attack wore off, and Kid dispersed his shield.

He frowned at the witch, who at least seemed to be tiring now. How was it that he hadn't managed to defeat one witch in all this time? He took a breath to calm himself, reminding himself that even his honored father had struggled against single opponents in his younger days, such as against the Witch Arachne.

Kid peered at Callisto's soul, trying to come up with the best strategy. Her soul, rather large now because of her power upgrade, was nonetheless wavering at the edges, more so than ever before. It was likely that being in this stronger form so long was taking a toll on her. If he couldn't finish her off himself, maybe he could just wait until she'd used all her energy...

Suddenly Kid's head snapped to the side, away from Callisto and towards a hole in a wall that led to the stairs. Somehow in the course of their battle, they'd ascended a couple floors above Franky's office, their starting place.

Now, coming up the extra flights of steps, were Maka and Soul's souls...and...was it really true...yes! A grin started forming on Kid's face as he felt his partners' soul wavelengths getting closer.

Callisto noticed his distraction and, instead of attacking, turned to also look at the wall. "What?" she demanded, unhappy she was no longer the sole object of his attention. "What arrrre you looking at?"

"Your ruin," Kid answered, as Maka and Liz burst in through the wall, Soul and Patti in their Weapon forms.

The grin grew and stretched across the shinigami's whole face. "Liz!" he cried, beaming, reaching out for them. "Patti!"

"KID!" they yelled back, delighted. Liz wore a giant smile on her face, and Kid could feel Patti was just as happy, her soul exuberant. Liz started running towards him, and threw Patti up in the air; the younger Thompson transformed and joined her sister in tackling their meister in a hug.

The three of them squeezed each other, laughing with joy at being reunited. They'd been separated for weeks, each party worried for the other's safety, confused and uncertain about the future – but now all was well. Kid had his partners, his friends back, and everything else that followed — finishing off Callisto and Franky, rebuilding Death City, reconnecting with the witches — would practically be a piece of cake now.

Kid and the girls drew back to look each over; to Kid's relief, they didn't seem too worse for wear. "I'm so glad to see you two," he told them.

Patti hugged him again, quickly, before pulling back to say, "So are we! We're SUPER happy to see you, too, Kid! Yay, we're all back together again!"

Liz clapped a hand on Kid's shoulder. "It really is great to be back," she said, voice suddenly choked, possibly with tears.

Kid opened his mouth to respond, when he was interrupted by a loud growl. The three of them turned to see Callisto baring her fangs at them, saliva dripping from her open mouth.

" _Excuse_ me," she snarled. "But did you thrrrree _forrrrget_ something?"

Liz and Patti looked at one another, then at Kid, then back at the witch. Liz then sighed. "Man, Kid," she said lightly to her meister, "can you not do anything without us around? Not even take down a measly little witch like _her?"_ Liz's tone turned hostile on the last word, the rage she felt towards the witch still simmering in her soul.

Kid smiled, replying, "Well, you know how much I depend on you two. And what's a shinigami without his scythes?" He held out his hands, and with determination in their eyes, Liz and Patti transformed into twin pistols and landed solidly in their meister's palms. Kid leveled them at Callisto.

"Don't worry," he said. "We haven't forgotten you." He then began firing in rapid succession. Callisto took many of them at full force, flashes of pain on her face; clearly she wasn't as hardy as she'd been moments before.

Taking a deep breath, the witch chanted, "Grrrrizzly, Polarrr, Panda Bearrr...Grrrizzly, Polarrrr Panda Bearrr...Urrrsa Majorrr!"

Once more, purple light surrounded the witch, and when it subsided, she had grown larger, her teeth longer, and her claws sharper, if the welts in the floorboards were any indication. With an entirely inhuman roar, Callisto got down on all fours and charged the shinigami.

Kid went to defend himself, but then Maka, Soul in hand, leapt in front of Callisto and slashed her across the chest, eliciting a howl of pain and anger, and causing the witch to rear backwards. Attack successful, Maka dropped beside Kid.

"Thanks, Maka," Kid said to his friend, eyes still trained on the witch.

"Yeah, no problem," the scythe meister responded. She peered at Callisto, then made a small noise of surprise. "Kid, her soul –"

Kid spared Maka a glance. "I think I know, but what?"

"It's – it's like it's shrunk," Maka answered, sounding puzzles. "It was normal a moment ago!"

"Hmm," Kid said, tensing as Callisto let loose another roar and looked straight at them. "It must be this form she just entered, this Ursa Major. It's probably a last resort technique for her, because it puts so much stress on her."

 _"Then she should be easy to beat, right?"_ said Liz. _"With the three of us working together again?"_

"Most likely," Kid agreed. He paused a moment, thinking, then asked his partners, "What do you say, we finish her off now? Think we can do it?"

 _"Yeah!"_ cried Patti, eager to finish what she'd started before Franky interrupted. " _Let's do it!"_

Kid nodded, then closed his eyes, reaching out with his soul to Liz's and Patti's _,_ and felt them doing the same _._ He felt full, complete with them near him, strengthened by their bond. Opening his eyes wide, he shouted in unison with Liz and Patti,

"Soul Resonance!"

Bright light enveloped Kid and the Thompsons, and the sisters' gun forms grew and elongated to become cannon-like, looking like extensions of Kid's own arms. "Death Penalty: Execution Mode Acquired."

Callisto snarled, and began bounding towards the shinigami. Kid raised his cannons, his soul wavelength pulsing inside the barrels. He said, "Death Cannon," and fired.

The attack caught Callisto dead on, and she screamed and howled as the blast incinerated her. The sounds were very animalistic, and seemed to confirm Kid's theory that the witch's Ursa Major form came at a cost. When the dust cleared, all that was left of the Witch Callisto was a small, dark purple soul with rounded bear ears floating in place.

Kid, Liz, and Patti deactivated Soul Resonance, and Liz ad Patti returned to their human forms; Soul quickly followed suit. Kid walked up to Callisto's soul and grabbed it, pocketing it in a dimensional pocket he had access to as Shinigami-sama. He turned to his Weapons and said somewhat sheepishly, "I would let you two decide which one gets her soul, but you know the witches would be down my throat for not respecting their burial practices. I know we're not at fault, but I do still want to smooth over relations with them."

His Weapons nodded in understanding. "It's okay, Kid," Liz said. "We understand."

Kid nodded in acknowledgement, then looked around at his friends' faces. "Well," he began, "now that that's over...should we go find Black*Star and Tsubaki?"

Soul chuckled. "I'm surprised we haven't heard him exclaiming his victory over Franky from the rooftops by now."

"Maybe he hasn't won yet," Maka mused, a small twinkle in her eye. "Maybe he needs our help."

Liz grabbed one of Kid's hands and Patti grabbed the other. "Then what are we waiting for?" Liz demanded. "Let's go!"

The rest of them nodded, and followed her out the door.


	13. Clearing the Smoke

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the penultimate chapter! Thanks so much for reading, I really appreciate it.
> 
> There is also one other "cameo" mention in this chapter, from the anime/manga Bleach.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Antonio stared at the body of his friend — or, the place where his body should be, the place where instead there was a glowing, floating, purple _thing_ that had a face vaguely resembling Franky. The blue-haired swordsman who had attacked Franky walked over to the floating thing and actually grabbed it in his hand, and then appeared to talk to the blade in his hand,

"Well, Tsubaki, you want it?"

There was a flash of light, and then a black haired young woman was standing next to the swordsman. She took the glowing ball from the swordsman and studied it for a while. Finally, she nodded, then opened her mouth, and swallowed the ball whole.

"Kinda spicy," she commented. She was the woman whose voice Antonio heard outside the vault door. The wheels spinning in his head, pushing through the veil of shock, Antonio put together this woman, what she'd just done, and the fact there was no longer a sword in the swordsman's hand.

The woman was a Demon Weapon. Which meant the thing she had just swallowed was a soul — _Franky's_ soul. He was not just disappeared, he was _dead_.

Grief crashed into Antonio like a wave, causing him to physically tremble and begin heaving. Franky, his Frank, his best friend, dead? Gone forever? It couldn't be! They'd grown up together, living right across the hall from each other in an apartment complex, developing a bond as tight as brothers. There was nowhere Antonio wouldn't go and nothing he wouldn't do for Franky.

But now, when it had mattered the most, he had failed him.

No. There was still something he could do. Antonio squeezed the barrel of his gun once, knuckles going white on it, before he raised the gun and aimed it at the Weapon-Meister pair. "You bastards!" he screamed. "How dare you! Frank was like a brother to me! How _dare_ you!"

The two turned his way just in time to dodge his bullets, jumping away to the sides. The woman looked towards her partner, possibly waiting for a signal, but the man had only eyes for Antonio. He was glaring at him with immense disgust.

"You're one to talk," the swordsman growled. "You probably lounged around here sipping wine while our city burned! How many brothers and friends do you think we lost because of Franky? Not to mention our own Liz and Patti!"

Antonio snarled and fired some more rounds, walking closer as he did so. Rage was making him miss too easily, or maybe the swordsman was just too quick. Moving so fast Antonio could barely see him, the man zig-zagged until he was right in front of Antonio, and then struck his hand out into Antonio's stomach. A brief flash of light and something electric in the air were his only warnings before intense pain shot through Antonio's body, sending him backwards and onto the floor.

Antonio lay there, groaning, while the swordsman walked over to him, his face a stony mask. "If only you were on Kid's list," he said in a threatening tone. "How you managed to stay on enough of this side of normal human, I don't know, but _I_ for one thing think you should go the same way as your boss."

Straining with all his might, Antonio reached for Franky's gun that was lying on the floor near him. He almost had it, but then it was sent swiftly skittering across the room, far out of his reach. It was the woman, who was looking down at him with a slightly less angry look in her eyes.

"I understand what it's like to lose a brother," she said softly. "But no matter the reason, I won't let you hurt my meister."

Antonio looked up at her, then over at her partner. He closed his eyes then, and got halfway through a Requiem Aeternam before unconsciousness took him.

~~~

Maka took one look at the Black*Star-shaped dent in the bunker floor and sighed, half wanting to give him a Maka Chop.

Not that she cared about the destruction of property, because it all belonged to Scafidi, and was an eyesore in the neighborhood anyway, but why did he _still_ insist on being such an attention-crazed moron?

Soul chuckled as he drew near her. "Man, some things never change," he commented, before adding, "Even when they do." He then took her hand in his – not to change forms to fight, not to hurry her along when running for their lives, but just to be there.

"Yeah," she agreed, feeling a happy feeling in her chest.

Life had been really good, up until Liz and Patti had disappeared. She had been at the top of her class (well, more like tied with Ox, but at least she was still ahead of Harvar) moving towards a degree that would allow her to teach at the Academy; she was still battling Madness and saving the world with her friends; and she and her best friend and partner Soul had, after a few awkward conversations, advice from Blair, and getting locked in the closet together by Liz, Patti, and Black*Star, become a couple.

Of course, the only catch in her perfect life was the absence of Crona, who was still stuck on the moon despite Maka's best efforts. Kid had offered to do what his father had and use his soul to bind Asura so Crona didn't have to, so Maka knew Crona could be rescued without threatening the world again. She just had to figure out a few more things and even if it took her whole life, she would being Crona back home, just as she'd promised.

Her frustration and sorrow over Crona's situation was probably what had caused her to be so initially upset with Kid when she thought he wasn't doing enough for Liz and Patti. She'd been devastated at the disappearance of two more friends, and felt helpless all over again.

But now, the nightmare was over. Liz and Patti were back, and Maka knew, now, exactly what Kid had done for them. There was no reason for her to have doubted his loyalty to the girls, and she silently vowed she never would again.

Kid, unaware of Maka's thoughts, stepped past her into the bunker where Black*Star and Tsubaki were waiting. A quick scan told him they were unharmed, and in truth he had expected them to be; without a witch to help him and no bombs to use as blackmail, Franky should have been no problem.

The meister and Weapon pair were chatting away, apparently unconcerned about the unconscious man lying by Tsubaki's feet. Kid looked at his soul and saw that he was Antonio Lombardi, Franky's best friend and right hand man. Despite his anger at Franky and everything associated with him, Kid knew that Antonio didn't belong on his list, not yet.

Tsubaki looked up then and saw him – more importantly, she saw Liz and Patti walking beside him. The Demon Shadow Weapon's eyes grew large, her face broke into a grin, and she rushed forward, squealing, "Liz, Patti! Oh, thank goodness!" She then hugged each woman.

"If this is everybody's reaction, maybe we should go away more often," Liz joked. Kid sent her a withering glare, and Patti and Tsubaki shook their heads.

"Too soon, Liz," Kid scolded. She gave a weak chuckle in response, but nodding, accepting their reactions.

"Yeah, Liz! Why would you wanna be deprived of my awesome presence any more than you've had to?" Black*Star added, grinning as he high-fived Patti and low-fived Liz.

"Yeah, well –" Liz started to answer, but then a noise in the corner was heard, causing everyone to look. A young man with blond hair and blue eyes lurched forward, eyes wary, looking like he wanted to run. He looked the group over until he saw the Thompsons, and some of the tension melted from his body.

"Liz, Patti," he said, reaching for them. "You're –"

Kid moved in front of his partners, giving the youth a look that was just a notch or two below his Death glare. The blond wilted.

Liz and Patti, however, stepped out from behind their meister. "Kid, no, it's alright!" Liz exclaimed.

"This is Jason. He helped us against Franky. Or tried to, at least," Patti added.

Kid side-glanced his partners, then took a closer look at Jason's soul. Jason Atlee, 24 years old, the only still living member of his family, and, most importantly, not even close to being on Kid's list.

"He helped us out, too, Kid," Black*Star added, which finally made Kid relax his stance and move back, allowing the still-terrified Jason some room.

He cautiously moved his gaze from Kid to the Thompsons. "I'm glad you guys are alright," he said quietly. The girls grabbed both his arms and pulled him close.

"We're glad _you_ are," Liz told him. Patti turned to Kid and said,

"So, Kid, we kinda told Jason that you wouldn't be mad at him if we put in a good word for him. And that maybe he could come back to Death City with us." Leaving one arm on Jason's, she reached out to Kid, bringing him closer and forming a quartet.

Kid blinked and looked between Jason and his partners, earnest looks on all their faces. Well, Liz and Patti's word was good enough for him, and so was Black*Star and Tsubaki's; besides that, Kid could see with his own eyes that Jason cared about the Thompsons and seemed to have no love for Franky, or Antonio, still lying unconscious on the floor. A minute's more contemplation, and he finally nodded.

"Okay," Kid said. "Okay, he can come back with us."

The Thompsons' and Jason's faces broke into smiles. Kid took another glance around the room, and then reached out with his soul, seeing who of Franky's men was still around. Not many, but regardless, he would have to send in a clean-up crew – under Karen and the Santos twins, perhaps, or Rukia Kuichiki and her partner – and report to the New York Police Department. But those things could be done over the phone, or through the mirror, rather. Kid had no desire to stay here in Brooklyn any longer, and he suspected his friends would agree.

"But now that that's decided," he began, "I'd really like to leave now." His words were for everyone, but he was looking at his partners. "What do you say we go home now?"

Liz and Patti's smiles grew larger, if that was possible, as Maka, Soul, Black*Star, and Tsubaki expressed their agreement.

"Sounds great to me!" Patti chirped.

"I've been waiting to hear that since day one," said Liz.

Kid nodded. "Well, then let's go home."


	14. 21 Gun Salute - Epilogue

Kid sat at his desk, looking over reports. Thankfully, there was a lot less, now that the treaty between the witches and Shibusen had been renewed, only last week.

Six months ago, when Kid, Liz, Patti, and the others came back home, one of the first things that Kid had done, besides sending out a team to New York to deal with the rest of Franky's gang and clean the place up, was contact the Witch Mabaa directly and relay to her what had happened and what both Callisto and Sherwood von Phoenix had done.

She'd been very understanding, actually, and assured him that she would send someone to take care of Sherwood. Some days later, another blond, red-eyed witch came to his office, calling herself Lilliane-Hime von Phoenix, Sherwood's older sister. In a very calm and collected manner, she'd apologized for the trouble her family had caused and assured him it would never happen again, and that Sherwood was being dealt with appropriately. From the furious, blood-lust-seeking aura coming off her as she said this, Kid had believed her.

Now, things were pretty much back to normal. Liz had resumed her studies, and with some prodding and cajoling of her teachers, managed to not be failed because of her lost participation and late assignments (Kid could have taken care of that with a series of simple phone calls, but the elder Thompson had insisted she take care of that on her own). Patti had went back to perfecting her painting and drawing skills, attending a series of courses. Tsubaki and Black*Star continued on as normal, though their blossoming romance had petered out after a few months, though their friends had a bet going on when they might get back together.

Maka and Soul (their relationship still going strong) were now stationed in Russia, to look after the Shibusen Eastern European Branch, a position Kid had finally decided to fill. Maka had been unsure at first, wanting to continue focusing on her studies, but Kid had managed to convince her that she could turn it into study abroad; with Soul also eager to go, Maka had agreed. Depending on how long she'd be there, however, she did want to return to Shibusen for her graduation.

Just then the door opened, revealing Liz, who had a bunch of papers clutched in her hand. "Mail's here!" she declared, coming into Kid's office.

Something that _was_ bit different was that Liz was now working at Kid's office as a secretary, for an internship. Patti often complained that it meant they were both too busy for her now, though, again, she had her art and some other friends around the city. Liz and Kid also tried to keep the weekends business-free to spend time with her and their other friends.

"You know," Liz began as she set the mail down on Kid's desk, "I thought I might have had a bit more glamorous a position when I signed up for this, you know? More...I don't know, advising, less sifting through mail?"

"Be grateful for the position you have," Kid said, a smile forming at the corner of his lips. "I had to do a bit of string-pulling to get you into such a high position in the first place."

"Pssh, yeah right," Liz replied, settling herself comfortably in a plush chair she herself had ordered for Kid's office, specifically so she could be there when she brought him things. "Anyway, most of the stuff is business and politics related, but on the fun side, there is at least a postcard from Maka and Soul included with their official report."

"Well, that's nice of them," Kid answered, beginning to go through the pile.

"Mmm." Liz got up then and stretched. "Anyway, it's lunch time, so I figured I'd take my break now, 'kay? I told Patti I'd meet her at Deathbucks."

"For Patti, or to see Jason?" Kid asked in a knowing voice. Liz scowled at him, but there was a faint blush on her face.

"I'm checking up on him, y'know?" she said. "Like you did with us. And to see how Master' s doing."

"Sure, sure," Kid replied.

Jason, after coming back to Shibusen with them, had stayed at the Gallows with Kid and the Thompsons for a while as he got settled into Death City. He was now working at Deathbucks Cafe, which is where Liz and Patti had worked when they were on probation, when Kid had brought _them_ to Death City for the first time to be his partners.

After working lots of overtime, doing a couple other odd jobs around the neighborhood, and saving up, Jason had recently rented a little apartment that was about the same distance from work but in the opposite direction of the Gallows. He said that he appreciated everything Kid and the Thompsons had done and offered him, but he wasn't "used to charity" and wanted to stake out on his own a little.

That, of course, hadn't prevented him from stopping by to see Liz whenever he could, nor she from going to Deathbucks for lunch almost every day to see him and occasionally eating over at his apartment.

"Anyway, I'm going," Liz said, starting to turn and go out the door again. Kid nodded — "Have a good lunch" — and looked back down at his paperwork.

A second later, however, he paused. Kid looked up, and then said quickly, before Liz had completely left the room, "Actually, Liz, do you...I mean, I think I'd like to come, too. It _is_ lunch time, after all, and I deserve a break, too. And eating with my two favorite partners...what could be better?"

Liz, who had turned around at his voice, tilted her head to the side for a moment. And then she broke into a big grin.

"Nothing at all, Kid," she said, as Kid got up and walked around his desk to her. "Nothing better at all!"

**Author's Note:**

> I realized after writing this that the ability to sense souls is actually a rare skill in canon and that only Meisters can do it. So...um...we're just going to ignore that and pretend powerful Meisters and Weapons can sense souls too if they work hard, ok? Thanks
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Reviews/comments/constructive criticism welcome!


End file.
